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Old 14th June 2018, 04:53 PM   #5
Jim McDougall
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Route 66
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It is my impression that this is plausibly a European blade which probably came from Styrian context. The reason this marking has 'Genoan' character is that these centers were highly influenced by Genoan traders who brought their weapons into various entrepots.
However, for Indian makers, their 'interpretations' usually were augmented with much simpler marks, most commonly the 'sickle' (paired and dentated arcs) mark.

This one is far too detailed following the conventions of Styrian marking in my opinion. The history of the FRINGIA markings is intriguing, and carries back to the 16th century in Eastern Europe and the Holy Roman Empire. This blade has some character of the varied 'dusagge' type swords which were used in these regions from those early times, but probably is much later.

These markings with the Fringia and similar terms or words which seem most likely acronyms were widely copied in these configurations, but in European contexts.


The blade seems well worn as would indicate a great deal of profile alteration from extensive 'work'.
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