Weapons of the Lake Van Highlands

[Jim McDougall]

This is absolutely fascinating and most thorough research on remarkably arcane topic, and truly adds a great deal of perspective on the arms and ethnic situations that were so dynamic in these regions.

It seems the case of the 'Black Sea' yataghan which was the topic of much consternation and debate is one example of the kinds of arms that might have connections here.
While these were finally determined to be 'Laz' bicagi, and regarded as 'transcaucasian' it seems they were found well into the Caucusus as well, and I recall contacts in Tblisi saying they were well known there. Most of the examples from reference material (Triikman & Jacobsen, 1941; Vichy, 1897) seem to have been from Erzerum and Trebizon.

Seifert (1962) describes these as Kurdish-Armenian yataghans, and it seems that description categorically aligns somewhat with the material here.

Also note the dueling with sword and buckler practiced even in these late times resembles that of the Khevsur tribes high in Caucusus regions of Georgia into 1930s. It seems influences in these atavistic 'ritualistic' kinds of warfare and weaponry traveled far and wide through these regions, and the dark circumstances resulting in the diasporas of these people may have played a key part in such diffusion.