Iain,
Excellent job of research and analysis!! I hadn't realized that the takouba was so wide spread and had such a long history. I'm impressed. A couple of observations/questions.
1. The takouba and kaskara have significantly different profiles. Would European trade blades have been made in the differing profiles to serve the individual markets of the Western Sahel and the Nile Valley? Those Sahelian kingdoms were much more sophisticated than those of the Sudan, and I would expect that more native blades would have been in the takouba form.
2. As you noted, the establishment of provenance is difficult based on a limited database of attribution and stylistic variability. Is there a place for "forensic metallurgy" in further identification? Native ore content and forging, quenching, processing techniques would different from say Solingen as well as native forging from imported steel stock like lorry springs. I wonder if this type of investigation could be done non-invasively? And if so, are enough examples are available to provide a suitable database?
An excellent contribution to the field.
Best regards,
Ed
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