[Gonzalo G]

Originally Posted by fernando

The issue here is not such passionate angle of political influences, even if ancestral ones but, instead, questioning the plausibility of authors (and collectors and others) statements on determined swords provenances and their influence in shape throughout ages and peoples.

Only wanted to expose the motive behind the attributions, as not beign technical or objetive.

Originally Posted by fernando

So true ... this not meaning that another people other than the one who first put up an implement, may adopt it, strictly or modified, and take it somewhere else, causing a new wave of influence. There even are records of such happenings, namely the case of ship cannon port holes, breech loading 'berços' cast system and other stuff ... what do i know?.

That is correct. It is what I have been saying about this evolution.

Originally Posted by fernando

Although not at all a scholar, i have had my dosis of search on the so called Falcata Iberica, called Machaera Hispania by the Romans (as cited by Homero), and potentially descendent of the Helenic Kopis.
By the away, you are surely aware that the name Falcata was ony attributed in the XIX century. What it is not known, according to experts, is how Lusitanians called this sword... but this doesn't mean that they didn't used it. On the contrary, if Celtiberians made them (or copied them), we may realize that they passed on to their following breeds. It is not because early examples were recently found that original models didn't have their inheritance and evolution throughout time.

Agree. M. Fulgosio invented the name in 1872. Of course, also Lusitanians used the falcata. Though I am more adept to the explanation about their origin given by Fernando Quesada Sanz in his book on the subject. I personally don't believe in the Greek origin.

Originally Posted by fernando

But 'soon' came the concept of Roman "Hispania", as they called the whole Peninsula; Portugal came much later indeed.

What I meant is that the modern notions of nation-state or country are a recent invention, and we can not circumscribe many phenomena exclusively to a single specific country because they ocurred on an area actually occupied for more than one country. I know that in many ways the Portuguese and the Spanish are literally brothers sharing a common culture.

Originally Posted by fernando

Horse head, bird head, undetermined grip, 'rectangular' grip without head ... Not only in Spain but in the whole Peninsula; there are currently dozens of sites with an excavated panoplia of these weapons and their paralel tipologies; i have seen (and saved) papers with enlightening charts.
... And i happen to have been offered a catalogue of a collection auctioned in 2003 with an outstanding set of these swords in exceptional conditions.

I am happy for you!!! I never thought that you were ignorant on this matter, neither tried to imply it. If I gave you this impression, please accept my apologies.
I only have the book from Quesada and some articles. You should share!!

Originally Posted by fernando

The mentioned term was Lusitanian, not Portuguese... which makes a difference .

What I meant is not that the Lusitanians didn't use or had knowledge of the falcatas, but that the Portuguese in the 16th Century didn't even know the falcatas, since they were buried for more than 1,300 years. So, how it was possible that the hilt features of the falcatas were passed by the Portuguese to North Africa in the 16th Century or the 17th-18th Century!!!

Originally Posted by fernando

There you go again. The author is not even Portuguese ...although he belongs in a family that has been in Portugal for almost three centuries. He certainly exacerbates on the Portuguese theme; but let it be his problem; we don't have to buy it, though.
Nevertheless this Gentleman holds in fact one of the largest collections of early weapons and tons of documentation mainly directed to the Indian route and discoveries period.

The bias is obvious. For the sake of objetive knowledge, any bias should be placed in evidence. It is part of a search for a truer knowledge. I am aware of the contributions of people who has preserved weapons and documents, but their explanations should be reexamined under the light of new discoveries, studies and a more scientific approach. As our own explanations. I constantly modify my own points of view, as I learn more. And I have so much to learn!!!

Originally Posted by fernando

A fair point of view but, still only in the coast, as anyway Portuguese never had enough military contingents to impose presence in the interior, either in Africa or elsewhere, they built and inhabited fortifications in over half dozen spots in the Moroccan coast during some three centuries, which in any case is also a presence; enough for both cultures ending up 'contaminating' eachother ... at least potentially; one has to go out to the village for groceries and bring with him some local gadgets ... or eventually engage in battle and capture or let capture one or two weapons. Isn't that also how these things happen?

It could be. Possibly, but not probably, since other factors and the cultural background in Africa makes more probably the other explanation.

Originally Posted by fernando

... Which ended mid XVII century. But that was more of a monarchic issue; i don't think the Spaniards came over en masse. Notwithstanding cultural exhange already existed ... except for navigation and discoveries classified information, as often mentioned in chronicles.

Agreed. But the Spanish had a greater presence in that area, thus making more probable the influences passing through them. Instead, the Portuguese had greater presence in more suthern parts of West Africa, the Indian Ocean, India and Indonesia. They were by far greater navigators than the Spaniards.

Originally Posted by fernando

Apart from the book i have been quoting, HOMENS ESPADAS E TOMATES, which is not only about such swords, and with all possible tagging implausibilities, i only know of another one called AS ARMAS E OS BARÕES by Eduardo Nobre, where also attributions may be discussable, on what touches the origin of swords being either Portuguese or Spanish; a common imprecision due to both countries interculture, namely or specially on what touches these weapons. That's why some authors prefer to attribute these swords the title of Iberian.
If you browse the search button of the forum under AS ARMAS E OS BARÕES it could be that you find a few pictures i posted of Eduardo Nobre's collection with contextual detail references.
... Plus the details i have already passed you on my half dozen examples. Did i also pass you their pictures ?

Thank you for the references. I have Hombres, Espadas y Tomates (only text, no images), but not the other book. As you know, I was absent from the forum and many interesting threads are unknown to me. I will search inmediately. But of what pictures are you talking about? Do you mean the photos from the book above and from Antonio's Page?

Un abrazo