A special sword

[athena]

Damascus or Tibet?

The patterns look like Damascus, but it comes from Tibet.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wjoiye/zBwFjI

[Peter Dekker]

Hi,

This pattern is extremely similar to what is found on edged weapons made by peoples as the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, and is made by twisting multiple layered bars and forging them together. On both sides there is hardened steel, one forming the edge and one forming the back.

See a 9th century viking sword below:



A modern replica (made by Andrew Jordan) of the most complex form of Anglo-Saxon forging:



Model of detail:


Model of crosssection:



This adds strength to my theory that methods like twist-core might have went all the way to Asia from early Northern European people. There are also Viking swords with silver interlocking swastka patterns (using them both ways, unlike what is common in Indian or Tibetan art) that are identical to those found on later Chinese and Korean sword and saber parts, architecture, artwork and even on Imperial arrows.

We know that some troops with very similar swords got incorporated in the Varangian Guard, emperor Basil's personal Imperial Bodyguards. This already takes the style halfway to Asia by the 11th century B.C.

-Peter

[Peter Dekker]

And yet another sword of comparable folding on a kindjal from the Caucasus region of Russia and dating from the 18th or 19th century.



-Peter