Help identifying kaskara

Jim McDougall · 16th September 2012, 09:42 PM

I very much agree with suggestions to the potential for Ethiopian connection to this blade, perhaps the entire sword as hilted. As has been noted by Lee, there are a number of these kinds of straight blades with double fullers mounted in San'aa which have notable Abyssinian inscriptions and markings.
This blade does not have the usual 'lion of Judah', Star of Solomon or other typically associated markings often with these kinds of motif, but the acid etched script does seem to correspond to Ge'ez or the alphabetic variations in the numerous dialects in Ethiopia.

I think that we must consider this etched application much in the way we do the heavily decorative thuluth motif on Mahdist period weapons. If I understand correctly, this is often repeated and interlaced using alphabetic characters which may have some distinct and intelligible meaning in the core of the inscription. These inscriptions were often applied by workers who were not necessarily literate, or non speakers of the language, so may have been applied in a rather artistic interpretation. I think that is why many of the thuluth inscribed weapons and items may not lend to literal translation, as many items whose motif is based on these kinds of script, and may well be the case here.

We know the kaskara was widely used outside the Sudan, into Eritrea and Ethiopia, so certainly this may be an example from these regions as well as possibly from tribal groups within any of them. As far as accomplishing a literal translation or identification of distinct alphabet, I am not sure it will be possible as this may be simply artistically applied motif based on one or a number of dialectic characters.

16th September 2012, 09:42 PM	#19
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,296	I very much agree with suggestions to the potential for Ethiopian connection to this blade, perhaps the entire sword as hilted. As has been noted by Lee, there are a number of these kinds of straight blades with double fullers mounted in San'aa which have notable Abyssinian inscriptions and markings. This blade does not have the usual 'lion of Judah', Star of Solomon or other typically associated markings often with these kinds of motif, but the acid etched script does seem to correspond to Ge'ez or the alphabetic variations in the numerous dialects in Ethiopia. I think that we must consider this etched application much in the way we do the heavily decorative thuluth motif on Mahdist period weapons. If I understand correctly, this is often repeated and interlaced using alphabetic characters which may have some distinct and intelligible meaning in the core of the inscription. These inscriptions were often applied by workers who were not necessarily literate, or non speakers of the language, so may have been applied in a rather artistic interpretation. I think that is why many of the thuluth inscribed weapons and items may not lend to literal translation, as many items whose motif is based on these kinds of script, and may well be the case here. We know the kaskara was widely used outside the Sudan, into Eritrea and Ethiopia, so certainly this may be an example from these regions as well as possibly from tribal groups within any of them. As far as accomplishing a literal translation or identification of distinct alphabet, I am not sure it will be possible as this may be simply artistically applied motif based on one or a number of dialectic characters.