Carried away by the samples of cold steel, I completely forgot about the theory, and as you know, there is nothing better than a good theory. For example, the compilers of the British encyclopedia of weapons classify it according to the shape of the blade and its section. In the first case, seven types turned out: a wide triangular blade that easily compensates for the softness of the metal, a narrow triangular blade - an ideal weapon in every sense, an asymmetric blade, an example of which is the Malay kris (it may have a "flaming profile"), leaf-shaped blade, Arabian jambiya - "Curved blade", a blade with a double curvature, characteristic of India and Iran, a bowie blade with a characteristic edge shape.
Dagger of the natives of New Guinea from the bone of the cassowary. From the collection of the Penza sculptor I. Zeynalov. A very deadly thing!
There are also seven sections: a blade formed by two flat parallel surfaces (the weakest, but flexible), a lenticular blade, a blade with grooves, lenticular with stiffening ribs, rhombic (the strongest), triangular or in the form of a "tick", round, square, octahedral - only for stabbing.
Material: the most ancient - stone, obsidian or flint, bone, wood. For example, the Indians of North America made daggers from elk horns, Australian aborigines made daggers from quartzite, and handles from wood and thickened latex.
A very sharp volcanic glass knife. It remains only to attach the handle made of wood.
In France, they found a bone dagger of the Paleolithic era in the province of the Dordogne, and it did not have a cutting edge and, therefore, it was exclusively a stabbing weapon! The Eskimos made daggers from walrus bones, and the ancient Chinese carved them out of jade, the "stone of eternity."
Chinese bronze dagger, 1300 - 1200 BC. The blade and hilt are decorated with mosaics made of turtle shells. Smithsonian Museum of Asian Art, Washington.
Another ancient dagger: Dong-Son culture from Indonesia, 500 BC - 300 AD Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Well, now we will be transported to sultry Africa, with whose melee weapons we began to get acquainted in the previous material. There, especially in its northern regions, the influence of the Arabs and Islam was very strong, and, accordingly, this influenced the shape of the daggers of this region.
This is a typical Moroccan (Berber) dagger kumya (or cumia), XIX century. Steel, silver, brass silver. Length 43.8 cm, weight 422.4 g. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Pay attention to the ricasso - the not sharpened part of the blade near the hilt. Even a blow of a sword can be taken on it and it will still not be possible to cut the blade.
Another kumya dagger of the 19th century. Steel, wood, silver, brass, gold, niello. Length 42, 7 cm. Length without scabbard 42, 2 cm, weight 272, 2 g, weight of scabbard 377 g. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. In the ricasso area there is an Arabic inscription in the technology of gold notching.
Kumya with silver trim and silver sheath. End of the 19th century Interestingly, daggers of this type were also produced by Toledo gunsmiths. It was necessary to trade something with the Berbers!
But this is an Indian jambia with a "pistol grip" and again with a bow-guard - again a guard, Indians cannot do without a guard … Although why such a guard for a dagger with a pistol grip? Chris also has a pistol grip, but he never had any guard! North India XVIII - XIX centuries Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
This Persian jambiya is interesting not with a blade, but with a hilt. It is made of bone and … who is there to say that Islam forbids depicting human figures? Here they are, and besides, they are naked! And how did this man walk with such "indecency" in his belt?
Turkish dagger of the 18th - 19th centuries from Christie's auction. A vulgar finish with coral and turquoise, no measure, no taste, but expensive!
There are several different kris in the collection of edged weapons of the American Metropolitan Museum of Art. Traditionally, a kris is a weapon with a wavy blade (forged Damascus steel), but in reality it is not, the main difference is not in this, but in the presence of a characteristic "spur" at the handle of the kris. As you can see, the entire blade of this kris is covered with various images. The popularity of kris is so great, in 2005 UNESCO declared him a masterpiece of the world heritage of mankind!
The island of Sumatra also had its own and very unusual type of daggers. For example, this sekin with an L-shaped handle. XVI - XIX centuries Weight 212.6 g, scabbard weight 107.7 g. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Equally original was the Barong - a leaf-shaped dagger with a thick sharpened blade, on one side of the Moro people in the Philippines (among the Islamic tribes) in the Southern Philippines and in the Asia Minor state of Sabah, the island of Kalimantan. The length of the barongs ranges from 20 to 56 cm. Most of the hilts have a curved and widening hilt towards the end. Barongs were also used in World War II. The hilt ornaments were made of silver, but you will not see any corals or rubies on these weapons.
As you can see, we moved from richly decorated blades to more functional ones, and if so, then it makes sense to go to Africa again, but not to the north, but to its aborigines, who were not influenced by Islam. On the weapons there you will not see any special decorations, including on this spear-shaped dagger of the Tetela people from the Congo, late XIX - early XX centuries. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
These two "daggers" are also from Africa: the left one from the Congo, the right one from Uganda. Moreover, it is surprising how much the blade of the left one is similar to the ancient Greek sword xyphos. Cleveland Museum of Art.
This "dagger" simply shakes the width of its blade, which is also decorated with a cut pattern. And again, this is the Congo. The handle has a massive tapered counterweight pommel and is wrapped in wire. Cleveland Museum of Art.
This dagger looks no less strange, not even a dagger, but a short sword from the Cleveland Museum of Art. He is from Gabon, he has a thin steel blade, and a strange (why is it like that?) Shape is wrapped in brass wire.
A cleaver with a colorful cast brass handle is only suitable for felling. Its length is 57.5 cm, that is, it is a real short sword! Why are holes punched on the blunt side of the blade? Exactly the same ones were pierced on the axes of the Russian city archers. But there the matter is clear: rings were inserted into them, and those by night watch bypassing the city strummed them, frightening the "dashing people". But what are they here for?
This "knife", which belongs to the Mongo people, again from the Congo, looks even more strange. Steel blade, handle wrapped in copper wire. Why such "freaks" on the blade? This is not a combat weapon, but a ritual weapon. It is not known exactly. Brought from Africa, bought from the Mongo people - that's all! Cleveland Museum of Art
The Tlingits are the coastal people of the Northwest United States. They learned from the Europeans to forge excellent blades, which they decorated in their own national taste. XIX century. Cleveland Museum of Art.
Well, this is Mother Europe! Dagger Holbein 1592 Note that in his scabbard, just like the Japanese, there was also a small knife and an awl. The blade is rhombic and very durable. Interestingly, in the 30s of the twentieth century, it was the daggers of this form that were copied by the German Nazis for their uniform dagger. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
An example of European rationalism and ingenuity: the "parrying dagger" with an opening blade. Germany, 1600 Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Well, what about the conclusion? The conclusion is this: the most richly decorated daggers, moreover, decorated not lavishly, but exquisitely, were produced in Persia and India. In this, these countries have left all the others far behind. Japanese blades are exquisite and decorated in their own way, it is difficult to compare them. Turkish - often tasteless. European … depending on the century.
