Ethiopian swords

[Lew]

Originally Posted by roanoa

About 100 years ago, in East Africa, rhino were so numerous that they were killed by the thousands every year. And I mean MANY thousands!!! Quality of the blade has little to do with the quality of the hilt. I have seen rhino horn hilts on very poor blades, and vice-versa.

Just a note:

During the last century, the Black Rhino has suffered the most drastic decline in total numbers of all rhino species. Between 1970 and 1992, the population of this species decreased 96%. In 1970, it was estimated that there were approximately 65,000 Black Rhinos in Africa but by 1992-93, there were only 2,300 surviving in the wild. However, since 1996, the intense anti-poaching efforts have had encouraging results. Numbers have been recovering and are now back up to about 3,610 and still increasing. Each species probably numbered white and black rhino combined 200,000 during the 19th century I don't think more than a few thousand were hunted each year. They were not as plentiful as the American bison which numbered in the millions up until the 1870s. I still say most of the horn is from various types of cattle and some from rhino and still some were wood and bakelite. I say only the wealthy would have rhino used as hilts as a status symbol.

Lew