Kaskara Fuller Styles and Some Blade Marks--a third essay for discussion

Edster · 6th September 2018, 02:06 AM

Ariel, Teodor and Ian,

Thanks for the kind words. It was a pleasure to write these essays, but much of the knowledge and most of the illustrations are from the excellent collections of fellow Forum members. I only have four kaskara and have handled less than a dozen. And at the time I didn't know what I was seeing. I'm still learning from our experts.

Teodor, I agree those two-fuller blades are likely from Ethiopian highlands. That ancient culture no doubt produced the skilled craftsmen needed to produce the intricate work inside the fullers. This is not the work of some shade tree sword smith in Eritrea, although the port of Massaula may have had some skilled artisans from Yemen. There was a lot of traffic from the coast to Yemen, Arabia and even India going back to Roman times. Maybe we need to add another fuller category for two fullers. Need more research to further investigate them and reveal a name.

Ariel, I beginning to think the sword entered Eastern Sudan, as you say, up the Nile, but also via the Arab nomads who interacted and intermarried with the Bega. The Bega lived between the Nile and the Red Sea inland from Suakin and carried trade goods from Suakin and other Red Sea ports for hundreds of years. Andrew Paul in his "A History of the Beja Tribes of Sudan" 1950/2012 said that the Northern Beja, under Arab influence, abandoned the spear in favor of the broadsword about the first half of the 17th Century. The Southern Bega kept commonly with the spear due to Funj influence.

They likely have imported complete swords of the Arab type for some time. The cross-guards and the rest of the kaskara-look we know likely developed among the Bega and maybe Hausa smiths in the Bega regions and influenced by the Funj. Also, there were remanent Christian kingdoms in the region that survived the Funj conquest. This is of course conjecture.

Ian, I can't thank you enough for making the essays "fit to post". I haven't written this much in many years except three snarky pieces for pleasure and without online publishing expertice.

Best regards,
Ed

6th September 2018, 02:06 AM	#8
Edster Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 415	Ariel, Teodor and Ian, Thanks for the kind words. It was a pleasure to write these essays, but much of the knowledge and most of the illustrations are from the excellent collections of fellow Forum members. I only have four kaskara and have handled less than a dozen. And at the time I didn't know what I was seeing. I'm still learning from our experts. Teodor, I agree those two-fuller blades are likely from Ethiopian highlands. That ancient culture no doubt produced the skilled craftsmen needed to produce the intricate work inside the fullers. This is not the work of some shade tree sword smith in Eritrea, although the port of Massaula may have had some skilled artisans from Yemen. There was a lot of traffic from the coast to Yemen, Arabia and even India going back to Roman times. Maybe we need to add another fuller category for two fullers. Need more research to further investigate them and reveal a name. Ariel, I beginning to think the sword entered Eastern Sudan, as you say, up the Nile, but also via the Arab nomads who interacted and intermarried with the Bega. The Bega lived between the Nile and the Red Sea inland from Suakin and carried trade goods from Suakin and other Red Sea ports for hundreds of years. Andrew Paul in his "A History of the Beja Tribes of Sudan" 1950/2012 said that the Northern Beja, under Arab influence, abandoned the spear in favor of the broadsword about the first half of the 17th Century. The Southern Bega kept commonly with the spear due to Funj influence. They likely have imported complete swords of the Arab type for some time. The cross-guards and the rest of the kaskara-look we know likely developed among the Bega and maybe Hausa smiths in the Bega regions and influenced by the Funj. Also, there were remanent Christian kingdoms in the region that survived the Funj conquest. This is of course conjecture. Ian, I can't thank you enough for making the essays "fit to post". I haven't written this much in many years except three snarky pieces for pleasure and without online publishing expertice. Best regards, Ed