Emanuel,
I would not put too much importance into the bolster, as it is an element found on a whole bunch of knives from throughout the world. I have posted some examples of knives from the Balkans, found with Roman and Byzantine coins, but they generated zero interest.
That being said, I cannot claim with any certainty how the yataghan originated. What we have are 2 theories:
Theory 1: Alexander the Great and his troops introduced the form into Central Asia and Northern India, then it was adopted by the Turks, who brought it back to the Balkans in the 15th century - almost two milleniums later.
Theory 2: The form remained in existence in the Balkans, in utility knives, but was not used for weapons due to other forms being available and preferred, such as the sabre. After the Ottoman conquest and the imposed restrictions on the carrying of arms, long knives with this form made a return as a peasant's weapon, much like the bauerwehr in Central and Western Europe.
We also have some facts:
- The yataghan is always referred to as a knife.
- The earliest examples date from the time immediately after the Ottoman conquest of the Balkans.
- While there is plenty of evidence that the sabre was introduced everywhere, there were Turks during the middle ages, there are no archaeological finds or pictorial evidence on the existence of yataghans in Central Asia - from Persia to Turkestan and Northern India.
Based on all the above information, we can decide for ourselves individually which theory makes more sense.
Best regards,
Teodor
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