On the 'kaskara'

[Lee]

Lee Jones holds a 'revisionist' perspective

This was no great original thinking on my part, but a concept espoused by Briggs in his excellent monograph on takoubas and kaskaras with European-made blades. Briggs was unaware of any examples of either Saharan sword type with surviving medieval blades; I am unaware of any examples that have come to light in the subsequent decades since his publication. As I recall, Briggs postulated that these may have descended from medieval Arab blades, which were also largely straight and double edged. Consider also the Omani kattara.

Show me anything earlier and be prepared to prove it.

I feel as though I am presently falling further behind in all aspects of my life; once I take care of some pending obligations, I will post some pictures of some 18th and possibly 17th century European blades so mounted. Unfortunately it will probably be at least a month before the traffic clears.