Nomadic swords

ariel · 20th August 2018, 02:03 AM

Ian,
First, thanks for the references and the missing posts.

The lengths of blades:
Khazar 29.5"
Qipchaq 40.5" ( yes, this is no typo:-)
Both very slightly curved.

TVV · 20th August 2018, 10:15 PM

Nice swords Ariel, I especially like the Cuman period one, which is not only extremely well preserved but is also of beautiful proportions. I have been interested in these ever since I read a book about archaeological arms and armor finds from First Bulgarian Empire. With the additional knowledge from the Furusiyya Foundation book and of course Rivkin's most recent excellent book I can now see how many of these finds were from the 12-14th centuries and misidentified as earlier.

The good news is that there are quite a few "digging" entrepreneurs in Russia and Ukraine, who are finding a lot of these swords from the Khazar all the way to the Golden Horde and even the Crimean Tatar periods, including some really well preserved examples like your Cuman period saber. What is better, they can be obtained for prices that are comparable to those of lower end replicas, and so I am trying to acquire a few as well. For whatever reasons these are neglected compared to other medieval swords, but I do not mind it, as it makes collecting these less competitive.

My understanding is that Rivkin called these swords after the dominant entity in the Steppe region during a particular period, not necessarily implying that it is the only group/entity to use the type. For example, you can find Khazar period swords all the way from the Northern Caucasus (Khazars, Alans) to Central Europe (Avars), the Balkans (Bulgars) and even Asia Minor, as the Eastern Roman Empire was quick to adapt these (the paramerion?), not to mention anything of mercenaries in service of the Basileus.

I do not have much to add to your swords, other than what you have posted, but we are still in the early process of learning about these swords and I hope to see more examples in this thread.

Teodor

ariel · 21st August 2018, 12:20 AM

Teodor,
You are correct: these sabers are attributed mainly ( not exclusively) by the site of their final " unearthing". Upper Volga - Bulgars, Western Ukraine- Qipchaq/Cuman, North Caucasus/Don - Khazars, etc. Because of that, attributing and dating them is extremely difficult and imprecise.

From the moment of their first appearance, nomadic sabers went into a static period as cleverly noted by Kirill. Then, often in another location, they suddenly mutated into something different, such as Mamluk swords.

As an example, the L-shaped tunkou with the long arm covering the edge was completely inverted sometime in the 12-14 centuries as seen on the frescoes from Ayyubid Egypt, Aravia/Iran and even Serbia ( St. Nikita in the Gracanica church). We may still see the vague reminescencies of tunkou on Mugal tulwars ( indian ricasso), Persian and Turkish blades where instead of a collar there is a triangular decorative element, etc.

TVV · 30th September 2018, 05:58 PM

Here is a later sword, probably from the 14th century, from the period the Golden Horde was at its apex. It is of diamond cross section as well, there is no tunkou/habaki and the guard is asymmetrical. The whole sword is 105 cm/41 inches.

30th September 2018, 05:58 PM	#4
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,664	Here is a later sword, probably from the 14th century, from the period the Golden Horde was at its apex. It is of diamond cross section as well, there is no tunkou/habaki and the guard is asymmetrical. The whole sword is 105 cm/41 inches. Attached Images

20th August 2018, 02:03 AM	#1
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Ian, First, thanks for the references and the missing posts. The lengths of blades: Khazar 29.5" Qipchaq 40.5" ( yes, this is no typo:-) Both very slightly curved.

20th August 2018, 10:15 PM	#2
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,664	Nice swords Ariel, I especially like the Cuman period one, which is not only extremely well preserved but is also of beautiful proportions. I have been interested in these ever since I read a book about archaeological arms and armor finds from First Bulgarian Empire. With the additional knowledge from the Furusiyya Foundation book and of course Rivkin's most recent excellent book I can now see how many of these finds were from the 12-14th centuries and misidentified as earlier. The good news is that there are quite a few "digging" entrepreneurs in Russia and Ukraine, who are finding a lot of these swords from the Khazar all the way to the Golden Horde and even the Crimean Tatar periods, including some really well preserved examples like your Cuman period saber. What is better, they can be obtained for prices that are comparable to those of lower end replicas, and so I am trying to acquire a few as well. For whatever reasons these are neglected compared to other medieval swords, but I do not mind it, as it makes collecting these less competitive. My understanding is that Rivkin called these swords after the dominant entity in the Steppe region during a particular period, not necessarily implying that it is the only group/entity to use the type. For example, you can find Khazar period swords all the way from the Northern Caucasus (Khazars, Alans) to Central Europe (Avars), the Balkans (Bulgars) and even Asia Minor, as the Eastern Roman Empire was quick to adapt these (the paramerion?), not to mention anything of mercenaries in service of the Basileus. I do not have much to add to your swords, other than what you have posted, but we are still in the early process of learning about these swords and I hope to see more examples in this thread. Teodor

21st August 2018, 12:20 AM	#3
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Teodor, You are correct: these sabers are attributed mainly ( not exclusively) by the site of their final " unearthing". Upper Volga - Bulgars, Western Ukraine- Qipchaq/Cuman, North Caucasus/Don - Khazars, etc. Because of that, attributing and dating them is extremely difficult and imprecise. From the moment of their first appearance, nomadic sabers went into a static period as cleverly noted by Kirill. Then, often in another location, they suddenly mutated into something different, such as Mamluk swords. As an example, the L-shaped tunkou with the long arm covering the edge was completely inverted sometime in the 12-14 centuries as seen on the frescoes from Ayyubid Egypt, Aravia/Iran and even Serbia ( St. Nikita in the Gracanica church). We may still see the vague reminescencies of tunkou on Mugal tulwars ( indian ricasso), Persian and Turkish blades where instead of a collar there is a triangular decorative element, etc.