10-13-2008, 05:21 PM
OK,it is not a doferent word for the same thing,it's the same thing evolved in different cultures. Thus it is natural there are some stylistic differences between the two. In decoration,in general shape,in lenght,some times,in scabards...
Did they both come from the same shord? It is plausible but yet again,there were one edged shords in Spain and in Mycenean Greece.And also in Asia they used a variation of it. Most probable is that the idea of one edged,slightly curved shords pre-existed in both cultures,Iberian and Greek,and through through some type of contact,say through merchants,through the Greek colonists in Italy and Spain(?) they produced a hybrid. But it is normal that they both constructed them using their own pre-existed traditions,and certainly fashion is something that can't be forgotten. As you read in the other thread,the word "falcata" is not ancient,and in latin texts they use the greek words, "machaera" and "copis". But machaira in greek is a generic term for curved one edged big knife,this includes any variation of any culture,Iberian,Italian or Greek. The word "kopis" is used only for a spesific classical-hellenistic sword as the greeks used it.
To give an example,there is another thread around at this time, "falcata hafting" I think, where you see many drawings of Iberian style grips. These motifs are not Greek and as someone said they were inlayed silver,something I have never heard in greek kopides.
As david said,the falcata is usually more curved than the greek kopides,but the examples found are so many that one cannot call this a rule. Some times the greek kopides are streight with no curve in the unsharpened edge.
Some falcatas found in Italy are very long and extremely thin,compared to the shorter and thicker greek examples.
Would you call these swords the same thing? Well,it depends how simplisticly you want to speak. You can certainly say they look very much alike,and that they do the same job!
Khaire
Giannis
Did they both come from the same shord? It is plausible but yet again,there were one edged shords in Spain and in Mycenean Greece.And also in Asia they used a variation of it. Most probable is that the idea of one edged,slightly curved shords pre-existed in both cultures,Iberian and Greek,and through through some type of contact,say through merchants,through the Greek colonists in Italy and Spain(?) they produced a hybrid. But it is normal that they both constructed them using their own pre-existed traditions,and certainly fashion is something that can't be forgotten. As you read in the other thread,the word "falcata" is not ancient,and in latin texts they use the greek words, "machaera" and "copis". But machaira in greek is a generic term for curved one edged big knife,this includes any variation of any culture,Iberian,Italian or Greek. The word "kopis" is used only for a spesific classical-hellenistic sword as the greeks used it.
To give an example,there is another thread around at this time, "falcata hafting" I think, where you see many drawings of Iberian style grips. These motifs are not Greek and as someone said they were inlayed silver,something I have never heard in greek kopides.
As david said,the falcata is usually more curved than the greek kopides,but the examples found are so many that one cannot call this a rule. Some times the greek kopides are streight with no curve in the unsharpened edge.
Some falcatas found in Italy are very long and extremely thin,compared to the shorter and thicker greek examples.
Would you call these swords the same thing? Well,it depends how simplisticly you want to speak. You can certainly say they look very much alike,and that they do the same job!
Khaire
Giannis
Giannis K. Hoplite
a.k.a.:Giannis Kadoglou
a.k.a.:Thorax
![[Image: -side-1.gif]](http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o118/kadoglou_gr/-side-1.gif)
a.k.a.:Giannis Kadoglou
a.k.a.:Thorax
