Two handed swords

[Iain]

Hi Michael,

Actually those illustrate my point precisely. The form of the marks is different and typically focused only on the outline, they are also always encountered in pairs. On the katzbalger in question three half moons are stamped which would be incredibly unusual for a Tuareg sword. That is not to say it couldn't happen but it would be entirely unique in my experience.

The profile is also not correct for a Tuareg sword, if it had some decent age the tip would have long ago been narrowed from excessive sharpening and would show heavy sharpening marks as Tuaregs typically use stones to hone the edge with leave very distinctive long striations.

By the way the first sword is in fact a kaskara from the Sudan, not a Tuareg sword, in the case of kaskara the tip is almost always a sharp point, not rounded.

I actually only collect takouba so I am fairly comfortable on the topic which is why I thought I would leave a comment on this thread. You can look at http://takouba.org if you like, which is my website.

Of course takouba and kaskara blades unfortunately often do turn up mated with basket hilts and the like to form modern fakes, but just looking at this blade, I don't think it's from a takouba or a kaskara. However I can't comment on the authenticity of the entire sword as it's very much out of my area of study and experience.

Cheers,

Iain