Late 18th early 19th century Ottoman Pala
Sept 13, 2021 19:24:20 GMT
Post by jack88 on Sept 13, 2021 19:24:20 GMT
Good afternoon all,
I've been working for the last couple of weeks on cleaning up my most recent acquisition. I've spent countless hours unlocking the wootz pattern on this sword with varying results. Sadly the process did adversely affect the koftgari designs a bit. It will be something I will look at having repaired later as the designs were already in poor condition.
Here is my guide on etching wootz: sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/65554/etch-wootz-blade
Without further adieu, the Turkish Pala:
Charge of the 4th Hussars at Freidland, being led by Colonel Andre Burthe holding a Turkish Pala
The origins of the saber:
Hollywood likes to consistently disregard weapon ethnographic history and give the uninformed the idea that the saber was prevalent in the Middle East back into the Middle Ages specifically in the Crusades. This false Hollywood depiction is demonstrably inaccurate. All sword-wielding cultures generally followed the same pattern of development. Due to the weakness of bronze, swords were made wide to give structural strength to the design, nearly all early sword designs fit the characterization of a broadsword: a straight blade with two edges. Over time, cultures progressed to the pallasch or single-edged straight sword. The typical broadsword fell out of style due to its weight, and with armor discarded due to firearms, armor piercing blades were no longer needed. A pallasch requires less material for structural integrity than a broadsword and is much lighter. The backsword in turn was replaced by the saber with the exception of western heavy cavalry.
The earliest proto-sabers first appeared on the Eurasian steppe in the 6th century AD, spreading both West and East with the migration of people. The saber didn't take hold in the Middle East until the 15th century; its adoption was incremental over hundreds of years. This ethnographical timeline distinctly makes false the Hollywoodism of Muslim fighters resisting the Crusades with scimitars. Muslim soldiers used similar blades to the Crusaders themselves. These Proto-Eurasian sabers were spread by both Turks and Mongols into the Middle East and Eastern Europe, even spreading East into Japan.
The Ottoman Kilij/Pala and Persian Shamshir
The word Kilij and Pala are synonymous but have adopted different meanings in English. A Kilij has grown to mean a scimitar essentially and refers to the older style of Ottoman sword.
An Ottoman "pala" refers to the last significant evolution of Ottoman swords from 1755-1775. The blade was shortened, given more curvature at the end of the blade, and widened the yelman. Production of this style continued until the 1860s, but the vast majority were made before the 1820s.
The slight differences are easy to discern with the previous two photos; my sword fits securely as a "pala."
Meanwhile, the Persians followed their evolution of saber with the "shamshir." Shamshirs were generally longer than Ottoman sabers and also thinner. Persian blades also have a far more uniform and beautiful wootz pattern to their swords.
There are distinguishable differences between Ottoman and Persian sabers, the scabbard above is very usual for Persian shamshirs. Notice that the mouth of the sheath has no metal piece but is simply leather. The blade is also longer with more curvature. The guard is usual to shamshirs, and the grip is reminiscent of what would be found in proto-Eurasian sabers on the steppe with the hooked end. This Safavid blade has perhaps the most beautiful wootz pattern I've ever seen.
Europe had the saber originating and spreading through Hungary, adopted their own styles and types better relegated to a separate post.
What is wootz?
There are still arguments today on exactly how wootz was made. It is not known to us. What we do know is that the steel ingots originated in India and made their way West. Historically the word "wootz" was interchangeable with the word Damascus as the West referred to the vast amount of blades originating from Damascus by their origin. Today the usage of Damascus steel refers to pattern-welded steel, which is simply twisting two different plates of steel with varying carbon content into a twisting pattern and imparts no extra structural integrity. Historical wootz had an actual process that brought out the pattern due to the high heat described here:
The process of making wootz starts with iron ore, which is iron oxide and whatever natural impurities have come to be mixed with it. This ore is crushed into smaller pieces and heated to remove the impurities and moisture, leaving behind the pure iron oxide. Removing the oxide part from the iron is then achieved in a bloomery (or furnace) by heating it with charcoal—the charcoal producing carbon monoxide which clings to the oxygen in the iron oxide and extracts it, escaping as carbon dioxide. This leaves only ‘blooms’ of low carbon iron remaining.
These blooms are then crushed into smaller pieces and fully melted in a crucible, where any remaining impurities float to the top for later removal. Green leaves are added to the crucible for their hydrogen content (this helps the iron to melt at a lower temperature than normal) as is crushed glass which quickly melts and forms an airtight seal across the mixture’s top. The crucible is then carefully sealed and the heating process begun. Completion of this stage results in a ‘cake’ that is then heated with more iron oxide (and then air-cooled and reheated multiple times) giving it a low carbon shell that prevents it shattering during the next stage: forging into a blade.
This article (listed below) does get one thing wrong; however, while nice to look at, the pattern brought out by acid etchants made the blade more prone to rust. Historical warriors didn't have access to the high-grade oils and waxes we have now. Therefore they would polish their blades to a mirror shine to help prevent rusting, thus making the pattern faintly visible.
The Ottoman Pala:
The Pala was shortened from the kilij as a logical evolutionary step when gunpowder weapons increasingly dominated the battlefield, and shorter sidearms were easier to carry and use. The sword was initially intended to be used with a shield but was often carried without one.
Stats on sword:
31" overall
26" blade
4 3/4" point of balance from guard
682 grams or 1 lb 8 oz in weight
The hilt is a low-grade silver with a usual pattern. The handle is Rhino horn. I initially thought it to be wood, but after asking a friend, he had me light it up, and it is transparent. The pattern is also is in line with the horn hypothesis.
The sheath has the rare what westerns called the "Turkish ladder" or "Turkish zipper." Osman a Turkish friend and expert on the subject who has been instrumental in the acquisition and improvement of the wootz called it a "spiral stitch." He continued saying that while this is a rare style reserved for grand pieces such as this one, there was no Turkish name or myth surrounding this piece. This style began in the 18th century and just continues to show the top of line attention this kilij was given.
The koftgari symbols at the base of each side of the blade are "Rumi palmet" patterns in 24k gold. Koftgari putting into place by cross-hatching the steel and hammering thin pure 24k gold wire into the design. It's an arduous process, and it will be impossible to find someone in the US to revamp the work. The quality of this blade deserves for the symbols to be revitalized.
The Star of David has a different meaning that the British "proofed" blades would use it as; it is instead a religious talisman that once had "Allah" inscribed inside of it as well.
Here is a picture of the wootz pattern mid blade:
The yelman has had an in-period addition of what is likely tin with a koftgari pattern. It covers up the original decoration of a floral design. The first picture has a flaw in the heat treatment brought out by the etching, I initially thought it was a mistake by me in a non-uniform application of the etchant, but it showed every re-do I did of the etching process.
This pala is extraordinarily special, clearly created by a master smith for someone who had a lot to spend on the finest materials for a weapon. It is incredibly agile and still retains its sharpness (it is razor-sharp). I plan to continue perfecting its form and will surely post whenever I can revamp the koftgari work on the blade (especially the tiny bit I degraded!)
The sword was bought from France and I like to think it was possibly attained by the French during the Egyptian campaign, as at the time none of these swords were sold to the West. Only in modern times have the spread of blades been so easy. Either way it does carry the exact characteristics of the pala carried by Colonel Burthe in the Freidland painting. It is an exquisite piece worth every accolade of Ottoman blade forging mastery, and is the peak of Ottoman design.
Thanks for reading!
Sources:
A Study of the Eastern Sword, Rivkin
www.fordemilitaryantiques.com/articles/2019/4/4/is-it-wootz
I've been working for the last couple of weeks on cleaning up my most recent acquisition. I've spent countless hours unlocking the wootz pattern on this sword with varying results. Sadly the process did adversely affect the koftgari designs a bit. It will be something I will look at having repaired later as the designs were already in poor condition.
Here is my guide on etching wootz: sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/65554/etch-wootz-blade
Without further adieu, the Turkish Pala:
Charge of the 4th Hussars at Freidland, being led by Colonel Andre Burthe holding a Turkish Pala
The origins of the saber:
Hollywood likes to consistently disregard weapon ethnographic history and give the uninformed the idea that the saber was prevalent in the Middle East back into the Middle Ages specifically in the Crusades. This false Hollywood depiction is demonstrably inaccurate. All sword-wielding cultures generally followed the same pattern of development. Due to the weakness of bronze, swords were made wide to give structural strength to the design, nearly all early sword designs fit the characterization of a broadsword: a straight blade with two edges. Over time, cultures progressed to the pallasch or single-edged straight sword. The typical broadsword fell out of style due to its weight, and with armor discarded due to firearms, armor piercing blades were no longer needed. A pallasch requires less material for structural integrity than a broadsword and is much lighter. The backsword in turn was replaced by the saber with the exception of western heavy cavalry.
The earliest proto-sabers first appeared on the Eurasian steppe in the 6th century AD, spreading both West and East with the migration of people. The saber didn't take hold in the Middle East until the 15th century; its adoption was incremental over hundreds of years. This ethnographical timeline distinctly makes false the Hollywoodism of Muslim fighters resisting the Crusades with scimitars. Muslim soldiers used similar blades to the Crusaders themselves. These Proto-Eurasian sabers were spread by both Turks and Mongols into the Middle East and Eastern Europe, even spreading East into Japan.
The Ottoman Kilij/Pala and Persian Shamshir
The word Kilij and Pala are synonymous but have adopted different meanings in English. A Kilij has grown to mean a scimitar essentially and refers to the older style of Ottoman sword.
An Ottoman "pala" refers to the last significant evolution of Ottoman swords from 1755-1775. The blade was shortened, given more curvature at the end of the blade, and widened the yelman. Production of this style continued until the 1860s, but the vast majority were made before the 1820s.
The slight differences are easy to discern with the previous two photos; my sword fits securely as a "pala."
Meanwhile, the Persians followed their evolution of saber with the "shamshir." Shamshirs were generally longer than Ottoman sabers and also thinner. Persian blades also have a far more uniform and beautiful wootz pattern to their swords.
There are distinguishable differences between Ottoman and Persian sabers, the scabbard above is very usual for Persian shamshirs. Notice that the mouth of the sheath has no metal piece but is simply leather. The blade is also longer with more curvature. The guard is usual to shamshirs, and the grip is reminiscent of what would be found in proto-Eurasian sabers on the steppe with the hooked end. This Safavid blade has perhaps the most beautiful wootz pattern I've ever seen.
Europe had the saber originating and spreading through Hungary, adopted their own styles and types better relegated to a separate post.
What is wootz?
There are still arguments today on exactly how wootz was made. It is not known to us. What we do know is that the steel ingots originated in India and made their way West. Historically the word "wootz" was interchangeable with the word Damascus as the West referred to the vast amount of blades originating from Damascus by their origin. Today the usage of Damascus steel refers to pattern-welded steel, which is simply twisting two different plates of steel with varying carbon content into a twisting pattern and imparts no extra structural integrity. Historical wootz had an actual process that brought out the pattern due to the high heat described here:
The process of making wootz starts with iron ore, which is iron oxide and whatever natural impurities have come to be mixed with it. This ore is crushed into smaller pieces and heated to remove the impurities and moisture, leaving behind the pure iron oxide. Removing the oxide part from the iron is then achieved in a bloomery (or furnace) by heating it with charcoal—the charcoal producing carbon monoxide which clings to the oxygen in the iron oxide and extracts it, escaping as carbon dioxide. This leaves only ‘blooms’ of low carbon iron remaining.
These blooms are then crushed into smaller pieces and fully melted in a crucible, where any remaining impurities float to the top for later removal. Green leaves are added to the crucible for their hydrogen content (this helps the iron to melt at a lower temperature than normal) as is crushed glass which quickly melts and forms an airtight seal across the mixture’s top. The crucible is then carefully sealed and the heating process begun. Completion of this stage results in a ‘cake’ that is then heated with more iron oxide (and then air-cooled and reheated multiple times) giving it a low carbon shell that prevents it shattering during the next stage: forging into a blade.
This article (listed below) does get one thing wrong; however, while nice to look at, the pattern brought out by acid etchants made the blade more prone to rust. Historical warriors didn't have access to the high-grade oils and waxes we have now. Therefore they would polish their blades to a mirror shine to help prevent rusting, thus making the pattern faintly visible.
The Ottoman Pala:
The Pala was shortened from the kilij as a logical evolutionary step when gunpowder weapons increasingly dominated the battlefield, and shorter sidearms were easier to carry and use. The sword was initially intended to be used with a shield but was often carried without one.
Stats on sword:
31" overall
26" blade
4 3/4" point of balance from guard
682 grams or 1 lb 8 oz in weight
The hilt is a low-grade silver with a usual pattern. The handle is Rhino horn. I initially thought it to be wood, but after asking a friend, he had me light it up, and it is transparent. The pattern is also is in line with the horn hypothesis.
The sheath has the rare what westerns called the "Turkish ladder" or "Turkish zipper." Osman a Turkish friend and expert on the subject who has been instrumental in the acquisition and improvement of the wootz called it a "spiral stitch." He continued saying that while this is a rare style reserved for grand pieces such as this one, there was no Turkish name or myth surrounding this piece. This style began in the 18th century and just continues to show the top of line attention this kilij was given.
The koftgari symbols at the base of each side of the blade are "Rumi palmet" patterns in 24k gold. Koftgari putting into place by cross-hatching the steel and hammering thin pure 24k gold wire into the design. It's an arduous process, and it will be impossible to find someone in the US to revamp the work. The quality of this blade deserves for the symbols to be revitalized.
The Star of David has a different meaning that the British "proofed" blades would use it as; it is instead a religious talisman that once had "Allah" inscribed inside of it as well.
Here is a picture of the wootz pattern mid blade:
The yelman has had an in-period addition of what is likely tin with a koftgari pattern. It covers up the original decoration of a floral design. The first picture has a flaw in the heat treatment brought out by the etching, I initially thought it was a mistake by me in a non-uniform application of the etchant, but it showed every re-do I did of the etching process.
This pala is extraordinarily special, clearly created by a master smith for someone who had a lot to spend on the finest materials for a weapon. It is incredibly agile and still retains its sharpness (it is razor-sharp). I plan to continue perfecting its form and will surely post whenever I can revamp the koftgari work on the blade (especially the tiny bit I degraded!)
The sword was bought from France and I like to think it was possibly attained by the French during the Egyptian campaign, as at the time none of these swords were sold to the West. Only in modern times have the spread of blades been so easy. Either way it does carry the exact characteristics of the pala carried by Colonel Burthe in the Freidland painting. It is an exquisite piece worth every accolade of Ottoman blade forging mastery, and is the peak of Ottoman design.
Thanks for reading!
Sources:
A Study of the Eastern Sword, Rivkin
www.fordemilitaryantiques.com/articles/2019/4/4/is-it-wootz