Antique Sudanese kaskara sword

[@maximefilion8793]

I love those longer videos in which you start to ramble a little bit about history and stuff.

[@harjutapa]

+Maxime Filion +scholagladiatoria So much this.

[@willek1335]

"Notwithstanding their deficiency in the art of the sword, they are wonderful fellows to cut and slash; and when the sharp edge of the heavy weapon touches an enemy, the effect is terrible." "Wonderful fellow"? Sir Baker is basically complimenting their ability to go ham? Interesting use of words they had back then. :)

[@althesmith]

"Wonderful" basically carried the same meaning as "Awful"- inspiring awe.

[@ARR0WMANC3R]

I want to see a video of Matt rummaging through a bin pulling out various thrown away items and going, "this is essentially rubbish!" at each one.

[@davidtiganila27]

made my day

[@rajgill7576]

April fools idea matt

[@jackrice2770]

Matt always finds the most interesting things. Like getting an education in archeology and history for free.

[@rotellam]

This is really fascinating. I used to think of the age of the sword as ending after the Napoleonic Wars and really being in twilight since the mid 18th century but it's very fascinating to think it was still widely in wars right before WWI is truly interesting to someone who enjoys history. I've learned so much from your videos. Keep them coming!

[@womble321]

The quote at the end is from a very interesting book that as it's out of copyright can be found online at project Gutenburg and is a great read

[@Arkantos117]

The leader of Songhai (Askia) has a similar sword on Civ V.

[@shockhouser3171]

They probably had those kaskara and definitely tokouba

[@Maedelrosen]

Oh man that frisbee shaped flat disc pommel will supersonically rip through multiple opponents, what genius design.

[@edwardleachman7131]

+Hansl Lavenburg Making it more efficient than katanas that do not have a disc pommel.

[@XCritonX]

Governments tend to train and equip solders to the absolute minimum needed to win the war. Individual survival is not a major concern, as long as the war is won. Usually improvements and adaptions as you mentioned only come when the war is going badly.

[@Leman.Russ.6thLegion]

I have a very beautiful one with silver floral accents and a black tassle and black scabbard. In great shape. 1800's.

[@MegaRaven100]

I LOVE this stuff Matt. Your use of history AND weapon analysis is fantastic which Is why my other favorite is Metatron; you are both perfect contrasts superficially (hair wise, style) but share a sincere joy and passion for your subjects. You are deeper, he is broader. Together you got it covered. I prefer your focused weapon analysis and his rich cultural tapestry. I am glad you are buddies. I often think the best friends are those who compliment each other. Its like with kids, the child who most resembles you (rather than one's better half) is the one who irritates and frustrates quicker because your own personality quirks are shown up! So I often get on best with people very different to me in most ways but who share an interest or past time. The differences become points of enthusiastic variety.

[@Divertedflight]

I think the reason (and blame) the Arabs were first falsely believed to have carried curved swords lies with European medieval artists. The artists depicted the Crusaders with the knightly arming sword and gave the Arabs the often curved, less upper class associated, falchions instead. Ironically there were probably more curved swords used by Crusaders than Arabs. The Turks and Persians had less broad slightly curved swords in the medieval period, somewhat akin in profile to the British 1821 cavalry sabres. And they later gained the more curved swords in the early renaissance period. But the Arabs might perhaps not have been keen to adopt them from their sometime Ottoman rulers.

[@KorKhan89]

+Divertedflight It's interesting to note that the "scimitars" you see in films and computer games often more strongly resemble the broad, clip-pointed European falchion rather than the slimline shamshir, kilij, saif, etc. that they actually used in the Middle East.

[@Divertedflight]

+KorKhan89 Yeah, I've notice that. It might be used because it's broader blade would be easier for the eye to follow, but it's probably just creator ignorance.

[@KorKhan89]

I think it's an artistic convention dating back to the late middle ages. European artists who had never been to the Middle East had heard that Muslims used curved swords. Since the curved swords that they were most familiar with were falchions and messers, they just used those when depicting Muslim soldiers.

[@Divertedflight]

+KorKhan89 It's quite possible. Though those would have been mostly Turkish Muslims or perhaps Arabs with captured curved swords (the borders see-sawed about a bit.) Anyway the difference between Turks and Arabs may not have been important to the Crusaders.

[@zedhaley6761]

It was a romanticist notion, and made for an interesting clash of cultures and styles if you depicted the opposing Europeans and Arabs armed with different styles of weapons, used to good effects in movies and historical fiction, but not historically accurate. Generally speaking, the Europeans used the straight swords for a longer period, but before the close of the 13th century both the Arabs and Crusaders used the straight double edged blades more or less equally, and of course in some regions such as North Africa and Oman the straight double edged designs lasted longer, and still predominated in Sudanic Africa until recently.

[@diswoon]

Thank you Sir, very imformative vid The Beja warriors have different names and types of sword. The sword you carry call Sulaimani " refer to king Sulaiman" others name such as "Matakari"...

[@yasserhussein6299]

watch this in you tube akhi ...(African Swords: Western vs Eastern) and (حكاية .. صناعة السيوف في السودان) wajazak allah for your nice comment

[@matthewcute4403]

Holy crap I own almost an exact duplicate of the sword you have in this video. The hilt on mine has been missing since I acquired it but now I know where to start on restoring it. Thank you so much Matt.

[@derekstocker6661]

I saw a collection of these swords about 30 years ago. there were shorter ones than you have on this video but mostly as long and one had an almost hand and a half hilt and a very wide blade without a point and basically rounded/blunted. The blades of most were of European origin with quite fine engraving and although no "running wolf of Solingen" marks, had what appeared to be European early makers marks such as cross and orb or a stylised "C". It was thought at the time that the larger sword was or had been possibly a German executioners sword owing to markings and wide blade. Sadly, very few of these seen for sale now but certainly a great conversation piece.

[@MsDjessa]

This has been one of my favorite swords for a long time. Thanks Matt. : )

[@asmaz2780]

We have one preserved back in Eritrea from my great grandfather

[@juliahenriques210]

The last part is interesting, and clearly shows a Victorian superiority complex. "If opposed to a good swordsman they'd be perfectly at his mercy..." As would less-than-good swordsmen everywhere...

[@goblinrat6119]

+Julia Linne Eh, I think that's his point, really. They were, in the writer's opinion, not very good swordsmen by his standards, and what he considers a swordsman of actual skill would easily beat them in a fight. So, he was basically saying that he considered their swordsmanship as a whole lacking, and that no good swordsmen could be found amongst them. Likely an exaggeration, and possibly there's cultural context missing, but from what the writer saw, he was obviously not very impressed with their skills, as opposed to their weapons.

[@Malachiore]

+Goblin Rat I'm more ammused as the idea that using a shield is far and away inferior to parrying. Though from his description they were chokeing up, as it were, with the shield, so maybe it was their use of it was lacking rather than the principle alone.

[@PJDAltamirus0425]

+Malachiore ^ Yeah, I agree with you, sounds like BS to me. I would bet on a man a with sword and shield versus a single one handed sword would have definite advantage. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a overall dismissal, many noted Victorian writers show superiority complex. This is the time period that did some up with the Whites Man's burden, had advertisements indicating not white people were dirty, etc.

[@enginnonidentifie]

+Julia Linne I think that adds to part of the challenge of judging Victorian accounts of cold steel fighting. We have a number of examples where Europeans, from different nations, could best people with cold steel in both European contexts and a variety of Colonial ones, but there is always that layer of "othering" to get through. As you point out, Victorians were quite haughty to say the least, rarely providing actual compliments to those they chose to turn into the "other." Hell, Victorians even promoted myths about European medieval swordsmanship as cumbersome and artless, though this began earlier. In many ways, as science, tech and industry advanced, their biases and prejudices grew -- which can make looking at earlier western European accounts of other cultures so interesting. Biases are there, of course, since they appear in most accounts of the "other" regardless of culture, but they are pronounced or take different forms, even as late as the 17th century, where many of these ideas began to take shape. I think that's why the historian's critical lens becomes even more important when trying to examine documents from the time. Especially in regards to HEMA, since these accounts can be quite useful for providing insight into actual techniques or weapon systems broadly speaking.

[@MALICEM12]

+Philip Dyer I don't think he was comparing the weapons themselves (one sword and shield vs only sword) so much as skill, that being said its hard to know if he were just being biased or if the group he did encounter was actually just not that great at parrying with the sword and relied heavily on the shield, could have been just the group he saw or maybe a cultural difference that the writer misunderstood to be lesser of skill because of merely being done in an odd way, hard to tell.

[@statichousemusic9855]

Those photos and/or paintings are fantastic!

[@feruspriest]

At the tail end of your video you talked about how some tribes were still using melee weapons as their primary sidearms in the early 20th century. I know there are videos that discuss WWI weaponry and military tools, but I was wondering if you've done any (or would like/intend to do) videos on the way melee weaponry (bayonets, swords, clubs, shields maybe?, etc.) endured into the first Great War of the 20th Century.

[@Jessusslapper]

"I own several swords" - Matt Easton 2016

[@nomad20122]

in oman they still use straight swords today

[@scholagladiatoria]

+nomad20122 Indeed! The kattara.

[@thekuan7002]

I wonder if there was an Asian Skyrim, would the guards say in the West they have straight swords. Straight swords.

[@johnwhite1534]

@@thekuan7002 you've picked too diverse a continent for your example dude. Asian swords can go from perfectly straight to flamberge real quick. EDIT: I wrote the wrong straight

[@PoeticSonic]

@@johnwhite1534 the same goes for the west, they are just too blinded by the straight swords to see their amazing culture with unique sword designs that don't have to be straight. Probably had to do with how straight swords with the crossguard looked like a full-on cross and so it was popular with Christianity. in the middle east and Asia, in general, adapted their swords to fit their need and for the most part, it didn't have much symbolism like with the straight sword and Christianity. btw, I'm not shitting on neither western people nor Christians. I'm just saying my guess as to why straight swords are synonymous with the west even though they had a wide variety with sword shapes and sizes, many of which weren't straight

[@johnwhite1534]

@@PoeticSonic I think in Europe the swords being predominantly straight had more to do with how they were used and less to do with Christianity. Looking like a crucifix might have added to their popularity, but the swords in Europe were already straight before Christianity was around

[@silencein.theevenblack6769]

It should be known that Sudan used to have Christian kingdoms before converting to Islam. Some of them even participated in the Crusades from what little I've read about it.

[@teddyissak2720]

@@aboyaq7259 Lmao, No way ! they have been MusIims since he beginning of lslam.

[@mayasdirar1107]

This is not true Sudan was majority are idols worshipers but part of them were Jews little of Christian and Islam came after that also there’s not recorded of Sudan being forced to get to Islam people just accept it.

[@teddyissak2720]

@@aboyaq7259 Wth are you talking about ? Every Sudanese know that, Islam was spread to Sudan since the first arrival of the Sahabas. You are probably reading some kind of Western revisionist, who always like to distort history. No one was forced to accept lslam, they converted with their own will. Also there is no sign of christianity in Sudan. Christianity recently arrived in Sudan due to European colonialist.

[@MannulusPallidus]

I thoroughly enjoy the history of the late British Empire and its various scuffles in Africa, India, etc. We could debate all day about whether or not everything done was "moral," but now, after the fact, in a (for the most part) post-imperial age, I think it's more important to consider other implications. For instance, your comments about the bayonet and sword coming back into play vs. men with sword and buckler. We're talking about an army equipped with essentially modern, 20th century weapons by that point: magazine-fed bolt rifles, double-action revolvers, etc. Amid all that, men were fighting with swords. We're not as far removed from the age of cold steel as we might like to imagine, and we might yet discover that we're not really removed from it at all. Cleverly utilized, a sword is still quite lethal versus a foe who expects you to stand at a distance and shoot at him like a civilized gentleman.

[@MedievalGenie]

I love the triple fullering on that awesome double-edged blade, but the lack of a pommel feels like nigh-on blasphemy.

[@HaNsWiDjAjA]

Glad to have someone quote ole' Samuel White Baker! His vivid description of the world he lived in during the 19th century as a British sportsman still left me with daydreams even today. Fighting against wild tribes and wilder beasts, thats the life for a man! Those Hamrans sure were brave, even (in Baker's own words) to the point of lunacy. They hunted all manners of dangerous animals with nothing but their kaskaras and the aid of their horses; elephants, rhinos, lions and cape buffaloes.

[@CarnalKid]

Oh, thank fuck. I was starting to go through Easton withdrawals.

[@harjutapa]

+CarnalKid YES! Rewatching his old videos only goes so far. Glad to know I'm not the only addict around.

[@CarnalKid]

Anthony Ridgway And I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who rewatches.

[@harrisonadami-sampson3674]

+CarnalKid It looks like the group of Easton junkies is bigger then just me.

[@kanonierable]

+CarnalKid There should be "Easton Addicts Anonymous", probably enough of us to form a chapter in most bigger citys.

[@mindremote]

I don't think it's a controversial thing to say the activities of the British empire were incredibly wrong.

[@HaNsWiDjAjA]

Or any empire that had ever existed, for that matter.

[@germanolivares7072]

Why?

[@NubiansNapata]

@@germanolivares7072 because the British empire were invaders...wanted to steal our Nile

[@dirkwickline4528]

The strong conquer those weaker than themselves there is no right or wrong in that it's mere a historical fact. Moralities only apply in how those that were conquered were treated after conquest. By the standards of historical empires the British Empire was fairly benign to it's conquests.

[@dsbnh]

@@dirkwickline4528 Might does not make right.

[@jamiirali1]

that sword was very prominent in the army of al -Mahdi muhammad Ahmad of the Sudan of which the hadendowa ( fuzzy wuzzies) made up a great number..it also may have been the sword that decapitated general Charles"Chinese"Gordon during the mahdist rebellion....dervish was a term for sufis ( Islamic mystics) who like the whirling dervishes of Turkey danced or spun themselves in a trance in worship. I have seen similar swords from Chad but I'm not sure if they originate there or were adopted from the Sudanese...the rosary type braid is called dhikr beads of which number in 99 beads which are attributes of god in Islamic belief. thanks for sharing!

[@yasserhussein6299]

shukran 7abeebna..many thanks brother ..and we have to revive the tradition of this sword because it is dying now ..in few years there will be no one to make it..every one is chasing life in the big cities or migrated out sudan ..my self i am in uk ..but i am intending to learn and master the art of making this wonderfull sword..many thanks brother ..allah bless you

[@yasserhussein6299]

also watch this brother in youtube..(حكاية .. صناعة السيوف في السودان) and (Centuries old trade of sword making under threat in Sudan). many thanks

[@phillipigyarto9066]

the Wikipedia entry for the Tuareg Takoba (another African straight sword) is the most mysterious and compelling two paragraphs I've come across. it casually brings up secret languages and a caste of magic craftsmen.

[@silencein.theevenblack6769]

There seems to be a lot of secret language in west Africa. A lot of secret symbols and writing or proto-writing stretching from southestern Nigeria to Gao in northern Mali. The Tuareg would've gotten their iron smiths from other ethnic groups like Hausa, etc.

[@Dale_The_Space_Wizard]

That actually looks like an efficient weapon.

[@DtWolfwood]

Don't know why i'm so fascinated by the second sword horizontally from the top in the background. Kept staring at it all video

[@redstarpirate]

What a fascinating video! Reminds me of the battles Series 4 Captain Blackadder might've fought himself.I thank you Matt for another amazing video! Could I suggest perhaps a series on the history of swordsmanship of particular countries? I'm an Australian with Portuguese heritage and would love to hear of any instances of regional flair or functional styling.

[@slowpokebr549]

I really enjoyed that. Please post more book passages that you find interesting or illustrative.

[@ColtonWilson3000]

I bought one of these from my antique dealer today. Looks like a great sword. I can't wait tell it arrives so I can add it to my collection. Maybe I'll do a video on mine when it comes in.

[@thetechprophet6498]

I am tired of hearing the misinformation about the takoba. It is used by more than the taureg and it is likely that it did not even originate among them. The taureg were nomads and have an aversion to touching iron, they were not blacksmiths. The sword is even used in Cameroon.

[@kirkadrianj]

From the little info I was able to gather, the tuareg have a separate caste within their society which are the blacksmiths, the inedan (plural, while the enad is singular). And in viewing sword dances (Tuareg Dance - Timbuktu Mali - on youtube) A tuareg holds his sword from the handle and the sword tip, touching the steel blade. Maybe its more of untempered iron. And I've seen several sword types from Cameroon that are very different from takoba design. Like I said, i'd love to see the info you were able to piece together for your claim of South to North takoba expansion.

[@TheGimilkhad]

Hey Matt, great video, could you maybe take a look at Moorish swords at some point, I always found those very interesting and they always made me wonder about their development. Cheers!

[@ieuanhunt552]

I love the patina on that blade. It looks so cool.

[@PJDAltamirus0425]

Coukd you do a video describing the handling, distal taper and weight of the thing?

[@s0nofp2l]

We have one of these in Bagshaw museum and one of the shields. I have often wondered what you guys would think of it;now I do.

[@mythcritic]

Thanks so much for this video. I own one of these which I was given as a boy by my father who in turn had gotten it from a sailor; all I knew was that it was from the Sudan but I never knew the story behind it. One feature I find interesting is the poor balance of the weapon. The point of balance seems to be too far away from the crossguard which makes it rather difficult to bring the point back up quickly after a strike. I wonder if all Kaskaras have this problem due to the lack of a counterbalance in the pommel? Maybe the inability of the swordsmen as mentioned in the text was not only due to their physical weakness but also to this problem?

[@walterdegenhardt959]

please do more vids like this one extreemly intrestin and very enjoyable keep up the excelent work

[@sandmanhh67]

Excellent vid Matt and thanks for another interesting histiry lesson. Now... Im off to watch the Alexander Korda classic version of The Four Feathers which has waves of those pesky Fuzzy Wuzzies all armed with kaskara and leather bucklers as well as long leaf blade spears.

[@kurumais]

great video i just looked up kaskara they have very interesting scabbards

[@nebmia3320]

It seems most kaskara sheaths have a widening towards the end, rather than matching the straight shape of the blade, does this serve some purpose or is it purely an aesthetic feature?

[@derekstocker6661]

About twenty five or so years ago you could pick these up for around £18 to £30.many with original scabbards.A very few had early European blades on them dating back about 400 years or so.You could find them with "Running Wolf" of Solingen marked blades and also early European engraved blades, the quality of which was excellent.There were some with early European "Cross and Orb" stamped blades, some very long and heavy and some with no point on blade and very wide and almost like a European executioners sword. Excellent effective weapon in the right hands, some having a type of "hand and a half" size hilt very much like European examples of great antiquity.

[@dragonlancer1909]

Thank you I was hopping you would do a video on Kaskara always like the design of the sword. Hope you do another.

[@mikesmiltarybooks]

Fascinating. As you are a collector of swords could you give an estimate of the value at the end of your talks please.

[@jacktraveller8290]

Because mechanically, there are only so many ways to move a sword & buckler, do you think if the Sudanese sword & buckler system survives as a living tradition it could give any insight into more opaque parts of say i33?

[@scholagladiatoria]

+Jack Traveller I don't think so, because according to numerous accounts, most Sudanese just attacked with the sword and defended with the buckler, or by dodging. Various sources state that they did not use their swords to defend with.

[@PJDAltamirus0425]

+scholagladiatoria Well, I would think we could get insights on how Vikings/Saxons/ Franks dueled fought, because Viking era sword guards were so small you couldn't defend with them. I would honestly think the shield would be used allot differently because the shield is allot bigger than a buckler.

[@Wirrn]

Ooh! I did some volunteering at the royal fusiliers museum at the tower of london a few years ago, we were sorting through the unarchived stuff int he closet and we found one of these lying on a shelf. It had a load of nastaliq(according to my iranian aunt :) )acid etched writing on the blade, and a wire wrapped hilt (I say that, it had basically disintegrated). Looked very fancy, but the blade didn't seem to be great quality. It was quite notched from use and seemed to be low quality steel. Had the double crescent 'maker's mark', which as I understand it was basically mimicking maker's marks from european swords but pretty much all using the same design? No provenance unfortunately, so I wasn't able to track down anything about when exactly it came from or how it ended up in the museum.

[@KincadeCeltoSlav]

Love it Matt! Thank You as Always! Awesome History!

[@Danko_Sekulic]

You are so right! Many medieval Islamic swords we can still see in museums like the one in Topkapi - definitely recommended BTW - share some similarities .

[@thetechprophet6498]

Takoba is not a taureg sword. The taureg use the sword but so does the kanuri and Hausa. My belief is that the Kanuri created the sword from the Bornu empire, and they introduced it into Hausa land. From there the taureg came in contact with the sword from the Hausa. The Hausa term for it is called takobi. This is likely how the taureg came into contact with the sword.

[@kirkadrianj]

This is a very plausible theory. Do you have any further research to back this. I'd be very interested in this line of research. The development of swords amongst indigenous Sahelian societies, to my understanding, is an ongoing process. What ever info you are able to present and quantify would be helpful.

[@thetechprophet6498]

+Kirk Johnson It is my own investigation firstly. secondly, of course there are many swords in Cameroon, do you know how many ethnic groups are in Cameroon? Come on man, you need a better understanding of African society if you want a answer because if I have to explain every little detail to how I came to this conclusion then I might as well make a blog post about it.

[@thetechprophet6498]

+Kirk Johnson 1. I have been to Nigeria two times. 2. Taureg purchased slaves that had the ability to make swords to replicate the design. So you need to know the history of these groups in Africa. The Tuareg have a slave caste that are of different ethnic backgrounds who they brought into their society. So the blacksmith caste among them did not originate among them but were valued among them. They viewed them as magicians. If there is anymore issue you have make them aware to me before I start to give how I reached my conclusion.

[@thetechprophet6498]

+Kirk Johnson Now like I said the Hausa word for sword is takobi meaning that one, either the Tuareg introduced the sword and name to them or they introduced it to the Tuareg, does this make sense? Takobi vs takouba. It is fair to assume it came from one of the two sides yes?

[@thetechprophet6498]

+Kirk Johnson Now because a lot of people are unfamiliar with the history of the sahel, I have to give more depth. Now we will address the origins of the word takobi, not the actual transfer of the sword but the origins of the word. In the Sahel region in that northern Nigeria, Niger area. The most dominant language of trade and communication has always been Hausa. The Tuareg that live in Niger today still speak Hausa but not the other way around. Hausa in this part of Africa was similar to Swahili in the east of Africa, Simply because the Hausa kingdoms had the largest markets, in order to trade you needed to learn a little. This tells me that there is at least more evidence to associate the word with Hausa than Tuareg because there is absolutely no reason to believe the word is a native Tuareg word. The fact that the Hausa had the most dominant language in the region is more likely to say the word transferred from the Hausa.

[@extrasmack]

Very interesting! I would be interested more details regarding this sword. It appears to have a slight profile taper. What are the approximate dimensions, widths, thickness? Does it have any distal taper? What does it weigh? How does it handle? How is it balanced? What about its point of balance, point of percussion? How is the hilt mounted?

[@extrasmack]

Pinned/riveted or peened? Lastly, any more information on its use would be great. Was it mainly cut-centric? Did they normally thrust at all? One would assume so considering the length and profile. Were most of the cuts cleaving chops or push and draw cuts? Did they employ any quick flicking cuts? Sorry for all the curiosity, but it's the first time I've ever seen or heard of such a weapon existing. Thanks.

[@extrasmack]

As a final question if you would indulge me, how flexible is this blade compared to typical European swords of similar design? It looks like it would be rather stiff, but you can't really judge such things from video. Thanks Matt

[@kanonierable]

I read somewhere that such swords are still made today and they use the springsteel they take from trucks . If anyone is interrested in the Sudan/Mahdi wars in the 19th century read "The River War" by Winston Churchill, Try to go for the 1st edition, you can find it all online. Churchill writes a great style, it''s very entertaining.

[@crozraven]

many of Prophet Muhammad swords are straight blade with a cross guard, so yeah those kind of designs appear in all over the world

[@nilusfredericklerro5740]

In the famous British film, "Four Feathers", starring Sir Ralph Richardson,, the Hadendowa ( 'Fuzzy Wuzzies') Sudanese in the army of the Mahdi, attack British troops, while armed with small round shields and Takobas. I've seen this film innumerable times while, until your video, not appreciating its authenticity. Very informaive video. Happy to subscribe.

[@KonguZya]

4:22 is that possibly a depiction of a historical back scabbard? Well, not a scabbard, but a sling of sorts?

[@laskey84]

How cool. Thank you for that bit of history.

[@mazinm2006]

Thanks, I am a Sudanese, and I didn't know all these information about the Sudan sword "Saif"

[@killmypoptart]

Still waiting for that nerf sword review :)

[@artikelservice796]

great history matt, gives us more knowledge about kaskara sword :D

[@OzoneoceanMJM]

They have a whole bunch of these in a display case in the Athens military museum- unfortunately they're in an area near the toilets, but weirdly enough some of the more interesting weapons are down there. They're very cool, like something from a barbarian fantasy. One big sword has a lot of short throwing knives sheathed crossways in the scabbard.

[@davidmelhart]

That is an extremely good looking sword. Very nice video, I was under the false idea that in the Middle East they used curved blades too. Now that I think of it, it is quite foolish to think that they had basically one type of sword.

[@fookyff]

Thank you for another great presentation. I have a Kaskara? Which I considered unbalanced and tip heavy, Now I know what I have. P.S Have you encountered The Morrocan Army sword circa 1890's. I have one which has fantastic balance and feels like a proper fighting sword.

[@test7er]

Interesting that they would strop their swords on their leather shields. Did european personally soldiers carry and frequently use sharpening implements as well?

[@gehtkeinenwasan2928]

You should have mentioned the scabbart i think. It ussualy has a pretty interesting form.

[@gebatron604]

this is well timed - I just started reading swordsmen of the British empire!

[@daswunder9479]

bija still use it today

[@p.e.i.man-canada-1372]

Matt would you do some stuff on Scottish weapons… dirks and such?

[@tangsoodoarnis4life]

Very cool video, I think I saw that type of sword in the film; "The Four Feathers".

[@AndreDoyonJr]

I wonder what the weight and balance is like on such a long sword with no counterweight. must be a good chopping blade, but I'm guessing not much point control.

[@HaNsWiDjAjA]

You dont need a heavy pommel to have a balance point closer to the hilt on a sword - in most sword designs this was achieved by distal tapers on the blade, i.e. the blade becoming progressively thinner as it goes near the tip.

[@BUSHCRAPPING]

i like it! very nice matt!

[@MsDjessa]

Interesting. So giraffe and rhino hide made the best shields. I am both history and biology nerd so that was very good to know.

[@renanmiranda68]

Not all Medieval kingdoms of Nubia (Sudan) were Islamic. See Alodia, Dongola, Makuria and Meroë.

[@StairwayToAsgard]

How do you take out a Longsword without damaging the inside of the scabbard?

[@QuadZeroQuanta]

@scholagladiatoria can u get your hands on a Flyssa Berber traditional sword? would love to see a review on one!

[@KorKhan89]

My grandfather has what I strongly suspect to be a takouba at his house. I was was wondering if you knew how common those are in the UK. Could it have originated with the Hausa or Fulani living on the northern edges of the British dominions in West Africa (modern day Nigeria and Ghana)?

[@davidmelhart]

After looking at some pictures of kaskara swords, I noticed that many have strange leaf shaped scabbards, anyone has an idea why that would be?

[@inregionecaecorum]

You might be interested in these pictures, taken at the end of the second world war. When my grandfather was a young lad, these guys grandfathers would have been amongst the guys who did for Burnaby. www.flickr.com/photos/48365038@N06/albums/72157626698987649 You can see in one picture they seem to be practising some martial art to the beat of a drum. In another you can see one guy has drawn his sword. My brother has three Sudanese daggers .

[@MrChrischi81]

Matt thank you do you have a support account for your videos

[@harjutapa]

Where would you recommend a person go to find more information on the history of Sudanese weapons and their military pre-gunpowder? Specifically the pictures you shared in this video, and some context for them.

[@Ramiiam]

Nice length. If the blade is well made, it looks quite serviceable. I imagine they were free for the picking up after Omdurman.

[@IchKomentiereNur123]

Didnt they use metal armor?

[@scholagladiatoria]

+Kommentatus Cosades The very richest had mail and helmets. But most were almost naked.

[@mortyjames5897]

+Kommentatus Cosades I doubt, considering the heat it would absorb. This is some armour that the Madhists wore in the 1880s s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/a7/f0/54/a7f0541954d006cd87e8f6f11ddc5d1d.jpg

[@rdjhardy]

+scholagladiatoria Sorry Matt, the minimum clothing would cover them from above the navel to below the knees, as directed by their faith.

[@deepbludreams]

+Kommentatus Cosades Not that really matters, in the day of the Rifle, armor till the 1970s was totally pointless.

[@deepbludreams]

rdjhardy Example? even the WW1 Era trench armor worn by german machine gunners was only rated against pistol rounds and buckshot, the only working body armor against rifles was early flak jackets.

[@paulvmarks]

Much of the Sudan was made up of Christian Kingdoms till only a few centuries ago - the Islamic conquest took a long time (the Christians of the extreme south of the Sudan were never totally exterminated) . So assuming because a design is from the Sudan it must be Islamic is mistaken - the original design (the start of the tradition) could have been in Christian times. Although yes Islamic warriors often straight swords with cross guards.

[@yasserhussein6299]

watch this on youtube bro..(Centuries old trade of sword making under threat in Sudan) and (African Swords: Western vs Eastern). many thanks

[@morningmidnight9398]

Nope there wasn't an Islamic conquest into Sudan and the majority of the Sudan became Muslim through preaching unlike the Christian tradition of forced conversions or ethnic cleansing. As for the swords the Sudan were never a metal making hub or a center of major war efforts and campaigns like the rest of Europe, Arabia and North Africa and therefore it is easier to assume that they took those sword traditions from their neighbors

[@khaleddekar2188]

@Justin Smith you totally wrong south Sudanese weren't Christian until British colonization they were pagans with traditional trebs religions

[@khaleddekar2188]

@Justin Smith and funj are not Arabs by the way they have their own language until today

[@khaleddekar2188]

@Justin Smith it wasn't really kingdom it was tribe kingdom ok So it was sort of tribes war not really a kingdom and funj aren't Arabs they are niloe tribes converted to Islam

[@loganspencer2219]

can you do a video on how realistic assassins creed sword fighting is?

[@LordPeachew]

Would you do any cutting with that sword? I would love to see how it preforms.

[@jellekastelein7316]

I've run across a few swords now that look a lot like this but are a lot shorter (70-80cm total length) and possibly wider, without fullers, but which are richly etched or engraved (couldn't tell from the images). They also seem to invariably have brass or gilded guards. Are these also kaskara (at least one page implied that they were)? And if so, do these have some sort of special significance, or are they simply different models?

[@PJDAltamirus0425]

How much do Kasarka's usually run oh vintage sword market?

[@shockhouser3171]

I always wonder y the kaskara has a short handle it be better to use a two handed handle grip y

[@PoeticSonic]

it's just different swordsmanship, one uses a single-handed sword while putting the other behind his back and the other has actually been in fights with the sword for their tribe so they defend with the sword. btw, i don't know about Ethiopia but Sudanese people are one of the tallest people in the world.

[@JonyTony2018]

What a beautiful sword

[@SchlangeVonEden]

Dear Matt, one small flaw in your pronunciation; the name of the city of Solingen (one "L") is spoken with a drawn out "O". I noticed that it was written as "Sollingen" in the report at the end of the video, so it might have been recorded that way in some sources...?

[@SlytigerSurvival]

What would you prefer, a scimitar, or a straight double edged sword? I think I'd take the scimitar for speed

[@HaNsWiDjAjA]

Why would the scimitar be faster? It all depends on the overall weight and balance.

[@Yakzur]

I keep hoping that one day we'll get a "Weapons of the Sudan" video like the videos he's done of Afghan weapons.

[@yoerifenna]

I just got one from my grandfather who was a captain? Not going to sell it but do they have any worth?

[@ariochiv]

Would the triple fuller have been part of the original German-made blade?

[@scholagladiatoria]

Yes.

[@RoninAvenger]

European made kaskara blades can also have very thick and long single fullers

[@99IronDuke]

Like you interesting stuff on tribal weapons from Asia and Africa, any chance of doing Zulu weapons?

[@tsgillespiejr]

In the account at the end, the bit about the form of the swords being borrowed from Crusaders' swords is dubious in my opinion. Until the sabres of the Turks and Persians became popular among the Arabs, their swords were straight (and stereotypically worn hanging from a baldric rather than thrust through a sash or hanging from a belt). The 'sayf badawi' which were presented to Mamluk rulers were made in this customarily Arab style out of reverence for the tradition of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him - indeed, Arab swords at the time weren't so different from the Roman spatha or the Sassanid longsword) and respect for "Arab-ness." Omani swords are still made in this manner as well, albeit without any hand protection to speak of. The kaskara's straight form shouldn't be seen as an innovation, but rather a continuation of the aforementioned.

[@electronkaleidoscope5860]

Man, that written source though. >admires and acknowledges the incredibly sharp edges maintained by these people- and that they carefully preserve them for generations >Says that because they don't parry with the blades , they just don't understand swordsmanship I can only imagine Mr.Baker isn't exactly remembered for his intelligence

[@scholagladiatoria]

What he means is that they don't understand Western style swordsmanship, which at this date was based on attack and defence with the sword alone, using the sword to parry. It seems that many cultures using swords and shields more or less only used the sword to attack and the shield to defend.