Category Archives: Articles

Neratova E.I. (2023). Sud’by muzejshhikov i muzejnyh predmetov. K biografii K. Z. Kavtaradze [Fates of museologists and museum items. To the biography of K. Z. Kavtaradze]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 12, pp. 223 — 262. Neratova E. I. Abstract: This article is an attempt to show that circumstances affect not only fates of countries and people… but also fates of museum objects. And in this regard, the author presents four items of Caucasian arms (one dagger and three sabers), as well as describes the error that occurred during the registration of three of them in the museum collection and restores the collector’s name – Konstantin Zurabovich Kavtaradze (1879 – 1941). The fate of K.Z. Kavtaradze himself was quite unusual: a talented portrait painter, an art teacher who successfully tried himself in dental prosthetics, a creator of anthropological mannequins of the Ethnographic Department of the Russian Museum (now Russian…

Kubachi arms in Russian Museum of Ethnography. Part 1: Items acquired for the museum by E. M. Shilling

Neratova E.I. (2023). Kubachinskoe oruzhie v Rossijskom jetnograficheskom muzee. Chast’ 1: Predmety, priobretennye dlja muzeja E. M. Shillingom [Kubachi arms in Russian Museum of Ethnography. Part 1: Items acquired for the museum by E. M. Shilling]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 12, pp. 68 — 108. Neratova E. I. Abstract: By this material, the author begins a series of articles on Kubachi arms presented in the collection of Russian Museum of Ethnography (RME). Each article deals with items acquired for the museum by different collectors. This one is dedicated to items acquired by Evgeniy Mikhailovich Shilling (1892 – 1953), a famous ethnographer and caucasiologist. In addition to description and attribution of items themselves, the article addresses some issues that will help to better present a number of features peculiar to Kubachi culture, as well as its place and role in the Caucasus. Expeditions led by E.M. Shilling were conducted…

Analysis of Traditional Georgian Terminology for Bulat and Damascus Steel

Dvalishvili L.B. (2023). Analiz gruzinskoj tradicionnoj terminologii, oboznachajushhej bulat i damasskuju stal’ [Analysis of Traditional Georgian Terminology for Bulat and Damascus Steel]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 12, pp. 109 — 162. Dvalishvili L. B. Abstract: The article deals with historically established Georgian terminology for Bulat and Damascus steel[1]. Samples of Damascus steel products have been seen in Georgia since the early Iron Age. The most ancient Bulat steel product in Georgia is a sword which was found by archaeologists in the Daryal Gorge and dates back to 1000 A.D. Analysis of existed terminology is performed using a comparative etymological analysis of specialized metallurgical terms, explanatory dictionaries and fragments of literary monuments. The author also relies on materials of field ethnographic research and takes into account historical cultural contacts of Georgia with neighbouring civilizations of the Near East. The article notes that in the Georgian spoken and literary language it…

Armoury Row in Tiflis from the 1630s to the 1920s

Dvalishvili L.B. (2023). Oruzhejnyj rjad v Tiflise v 30-h godah XVII – 20-h godah XX veka [Armoury Row in Tiflis from the 1630s to the 1920s]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 12, pp. 4 — 55. Dvalishvili L. B. Abstract: For years Tiflis used to be a major economic center of the Caucasus. Its arms were well known and valued outside the region. Arms workshops were located in different areas of Tiflis, but most of them were concentrated in Armoury Row, which, at least since the 1630s, was located in the historic district between Sioni Cathedral and Anchiskhati Basilica, in the western part of King Square. It was probably due to King Rostom that rows of arms workshops were established in the form which remained until the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti was annexed by Russia. He moved the royal palace to the area between Sioni Cathedral and Anchiskhati Basilica and began…

Reconstruction of the Mounted Swordsmanship System According to “Rules and Regulations for the Sword Exercise of the Cavalry” With the Use of the Original Pattern 1796 Light Cavalry Sword

Zvjagincev M.I. (2023). Opyt rekonstrukcii sistemy konnogo fehtovanija po «Pravilam i nastavlenijam po uprazhnenijam s mechom v kavalerii» s ispol’zovaniem originalov sabli legkoj kavalerii obr. 1796 g. [Reconstruction of the Mounted Swordsmanship System According to “Rules and Regulations for the Sword Exercise of the Cavalry” With the Use of the Original Pattern 1796 Light Cavalry Sword]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 12, pp. 263 — 315. Zvjagincev M.I. Abstract: The article analyzes reconstruction results of the mounted swordsmanship system developed by John Gaspard Le Marchant in his “Rules and Regulations for the Sword Exercise of the Cavalry”. The analysis is applied to the Pattern 1796 Light Cavalry sword which was presented in two original copies. Experiments, including performance of horse-riding techniques, established the aspects of adapting the Pattern 1796 Light Cavalry sword to the requirements of Regulations. The article reveals the peculiarities of sword techniques which either were not directly…

The Legend of “berendeika”. Historical and Linguistic Note

Kurbatov O. A. (2021). Legenda o berendejke. Istoriko-lingvisticheskaja zametka [The Legend of “berendeika”. Historical and linguistic note]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 11, pp. 150 — 170. Kurbatov O. A. Abstract: The article is dedicated to simultaneous existence of two terms for a bandelier* in Russian historiography. One of them is bandeler which has occurred in documents since 1631 with a large number of variant readings. The word bandeler itself was borrowed unchanged from Western European military terminology alongside with other terms for items of equipment not yet known in Russia. The second term is berendeika which first occurred in the Military Dictionary by General Tuchkov S.A. in 1818. Tuchkov substituted the term bandeler with berendeika based on erroneous etymology. However, the final establishment of the word berendeika in military historical and reference literature due to its use in “Historical description of the clothes and weapons of Russian troops,…

Russian Combat Knives of XIV–XVII Centuries: Classification Error and Authentic Artefacts of the Kremlin Armoury Collection

Novoselov V. R. (2021). Russkie boevye nozhi XIV–XVII vekov: proishozhdenie mifa i podlinnye pamjatniki iz sobranija Oruzhejnoj palaty [Russian combat knives of XIV–XVII centuries: classification error and authentic artefacts of the Kremlin Armoury collection]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 11, pp. 106 — 149. Novoselov V. R. Abstract: The article explores a set of historical arms which were published with illustrations as Russian combat knives of XIV–XVII centuries in “Historical description of the clothes and weapons of Russian troops, with illustrations” (1841) by Viskovatov A.V. The author manages to confirm the fact that all six depicted knives match real pieces of short blade arms that are still kept in the Kremlin Armoury. The author compares illustrations from Viskovatov’s publication with information from archival documents and attribution of these artifacts based on their modern scientific classification and data from written sources. However, it becomes clear that none of the artifacts…

Arms Production in Adjaro-Gurian region in the end of 18th – early 20th Сentury

Dvalishvili D. B., Talantov S. V. (2021). O proizvodstve oruzhija v Adzharii i Gurii v XVIII-XIX vekah [Arms Production in Agjara and Guria in the 18th – early 20th Сenturyy]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 11, pp. 40 — 105. Dvalishvili L. B., Talantov S. V. Abstract: Arms produced in Adjara and Guria have long been barely described in Russian studies of Cauсasian historical arms, although there are numerous items of Adjarian and Gurian production in private and museum collections. The region of Adjara and Guria (located in the southwestern part of Georgia on the eastern coast of the Black Sea) included a part of historical territory of Shavsheti Machakheli, Adjara, Lower and Upper Guria, eastern Lazistan (currently part of Georgia) and a part of modern Turkey. There are numerous traces of medieval iron production by smelting local ores in the region. By the second half of the XVIII…

Kabardian Craftsmen in the XVIII Century: Production and Decoration of Arms

Talantov S. V. (2021). O proizvodstve i ukrashenii oruzhija kabardinskimi masterami v XVIII veke [Kabardian craftsmen in the XVIII century: production and decoration of arms]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 11, pp. 21 — 39. Talantov S. V. Abstract: The article covers the issue of production and decoration of arms by Kabardian craftsmen in the XVIII century. The topic is determined by the fact that Circassians (also Cherkashenins, Cherkess) in Russian historical records of this period might have been a collective term for numerous representatives of Adyghe nation including Kabardians, Trans-Kuban and Black Sea Adyghe. Based on this probability, the author attempts to identify origins of craftsmen through analysis of written sources and documents. The article emphasizes the importance of economic factors in the study of arms production in the region and the population (i.e., its nationalities, class division, etc.) which used to create demand for arms. In this…

Iconography of Kite-Shields in the Western European Manuscripts of the Late X-XI Centuries

Rybel D. A. (2021). Ikonografija mindalevidnyh shitov v manuskriptah Zapadnoj Evropy konca X-XI vekov [Iconography of kite-shields in the Western European manuscripts of the late X-XI centuries]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 11, pp. 8 — 20. Rybel D. A. Abstract: The article focuses on how such an item of protective equipment as a kite-shield appeared and was illustrated in Western European manuscript illuminations of the XI century. Archaeological data is insufficient for a full-scale study of shields of the XI century, and therefore the study of pictorial sources is of particular importance. However, the number of pictorial sources is quite large so the research was deliberately limited to analysis of miniatures from manuscripts in the first place. The author critically examines all available manuscripts of the end of the X-XI centuries which contain images of such shields and groups them by geography (France, England, Spain, Germany, Italy). The…

The Mysterious Mark of “Gevork”

Neratova E. I. (2021). Snova o zagadochnom Gevorke [The Mysterious Mark of “Gevork”]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 10, pp. 69 — 77. Neratova E. I. Abstract: This article provides further analysis and interpretation of an inscription found within a stamp on some of Tiflis daggers. Previously, it was proposed that such a stamp contained the name “Heraclius” and, accordingly, these daggers were attributed to the works of the armory workshop of the king of the Kartli-Kakhetian kingdom of the late 18th century. In 2014, the author’s study indicated the absence of the name “Heraclius” within the stamp and suggested that the correct reading of the inscription gives the name “Gevo” (Gevork). It was made evident through his study that these blades were manufactured by this Tiflis master in the early 19th century. In the present study, the author provides a detailed analysis of his interpretation of the inscription…

Concerning Shashka Hilts

Sheremetev D. A. (2021). O rukojati shashki [Concerning Shashka Hilts]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 10, pp. 31 — 68. Sheremetev D. A. Abstract: The article is dedicated to a specific hilt shape of a Caucasian shashka. According to a popular hypothesis, hilts with bifurcated pommels derived from the need to use a shashka as a support during rifle shooting. This hypothesis is not substantiated by reliable facts and represents a stereotyped response of technical thinking to an unfamiliar cultural phenomenon. The author proposes a symbolic interpretation of the explored phenomenon and postulates a necessity to apply synthetic rather than analytical research methods to symbolic meanings. Generalized, a shashka hilt is examined together with a yataghan hilt and a Central Asian knife hilt with overhead mounting. Abstraction resulted in obtaining a schematic model of a shashka hilt made of two bone or horn scales riveted to a flat tang of…

Peter the Great’s Travel Sword

Novoselov V. R. (2021). Pohodnyj tesak Petra Velikogo [Peter the Great’s Travel Sword]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 10, pp. 4 — 30. Novoselov V. R. Abstract: The article offers the research, done on a unique artifact from the collection of the Moscow Kremlin Museums. It is a broadsword with a wide blade of crucible steel, provided with short grooves, carved through for pieces, imitating pearls to roll in. The broadsword came from Peter I’s palace in the village of Preobrajenskoye, where a large group of edged and fire arms, partly belonged to the great monarch, was deposited. In the palace register of weapons, this broad sword was put down as “tesak” (fascine knife). An interesting detail of the object is an engraving, which was made on the silver plate, decorating its scabbard mouth. It represents an image of a warrior, dressed in European fashioned uniform and a Russian…

The Dagger of the Serasker Agmet Urfe-Valesa, a Relic of Russian Military Glory

Levykin A. K., Novoselov V. R. (2021). Kinzhal seraskira Agmeta Urfe-Valesy – relikvija russkoj voennoj slavy [The Dagger of the Serasker Agmet Urfe-Valesa, a Relic of Russian Military Glory]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 10, pp. 117— 149. Levykin A. K., Novoselov V. R. Abstract: The article examines a precious Turkish dagger that belonged to a high-ranking Turkish military commander Agmet Urfe-Valesa. The dagger became a trophy of the Russian army in the Battle of Galatsa on November 5, 1769. The detachment of the Russian army that won this victory was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel F. I. Fabrizian, who for this victory was awarded the honor of becoming the first knight of the Order of St. George, which the Empress Catherine II founded shortly before this event. A rare dagger, decorated with enamels and a precious diamond setting, it was sent by the commander of the Russian army, Count…

Concerning the Genealogy of the Master of Cold Weapons Geurk