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Post by MOK on Feb 6, 2018 1:06:35 GMT
Scott's story has another common myth: all Saracens used curved swords during the Crusades. There were some curved sabres (typically gently curved, not strongly curved like the later Persian shamshir) in use in the region at that time, but most local swords were straight. Saladin would have used a straight sword. Although that particular misconception seems to date all the way back to medieval European art, where Saracens are commonly depicted armed with curved (European!) falchions, presumably to differentiate them from the Christian characters holding straight cruciform swords.
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Feb 6, 2018 3:57:09 GMT
Since the readers all knew what knights (i.e., the Crusaders) looked like, then it has to be the other side using something different, if you want them to look different. Not always curved swords. Here is one where the Saracens have maces and conical helmets (vs swords and great helms): (Outside Antioch; the fellow with the bishop's hat is Adhemar, bishop of Puy-en-Velay, holding the supposed Holy Lance "found" before the battle.) Maces and beards: (Siege of Tyre) And just for fun, a concave-edged falchion:
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Post by RufusScorpius on Feb 10, 2018 0:43:36 GMT
1. Armor was so expensive only knights could afford it (true for new stuff maybe, but there was a thriving second hand armor market for cheaper goods- and there were levels of quality based on price. Same as buying a car today)
2. Only knights were allowed to wear armor. See the comment above. Anybody who could afford it, had it.
3. Carved or perforated decorations were used to hold poison. (not worth my time to debunk)
4. Anything "ninja". Ninja was a job that some members of the Bushi class did. Same as "Viking" wasn't a ethnic group, but rather a job that certain members of the ethnic group did.
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Post by Jordan Williams on Feb 10, 2018 3:13:03 GMT
Flat of ma strong!
Because I guess the edge is more important than your life, and crossguards protrude left/right.
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