Training System of using shashka by the Don Cossacks

Articles

Yarovoj A. (2018). Sistema obuchenija vladeniju shashkoj v kul’ture donskih kazakov [Training System of using shashka by the Don Cossacks]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 5-6, pp. 146 — 160. Yarovoj A. Abstract: The questions concerning the effectiveness of shashka, its origin and place in the Cossacks history are still among the disputable ones in contemporary Russian weaponology. The article is devoted to the analysis of training system of using shashkain the Cossack traditional culture at the edge of the 19thand 20thcenturies. The investigation was based on the actual pieces of the Don Cossacks edged weapons introduced to the scientific literature as well as on the field data and notes made by ethnographers working at Cossacks villages Starorechenskaja, Romanovskaja, Khomutovskaja, Kazanskaja, Jelizavetinskaja, Krivjanskaja, Starocherkasskaja,Razdorskaja,Verhne-Kundrjuchinskaja, Tsimljanskaja, Jegorlikskaja, Mechetinskaja, etc. Analyzing the vast historical and ethnographical data the author explains and describes institutional origins of the training system of long bladed weapons usage…

LE JEU DE LA HACHE – a Burgundian Treatise on Dueling

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Senichev V. (2018). Le jeu de la hache – burgundskij traktat o poedinkah [LE JEU DE LA HACHE – a Burgundian Treatise on Dueling]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 5-6, pp. 131 — 145. Senichev V. Abstract: The article presents a brief review and the author’s translation of a treatise on fencing «Le Jeu de la Hache» (MS Francias 1996)or “Games with poleax”. This anonymous manuscript in Middle French was presumably written in the 15thcentury by a Milan fencing master at the court of Burgundian duke Charles the Brave (1433 – 1477) and consists of 18 pages (240 x 160 mm) of handwritten text. The treatise is devoted to the only weapon, a poleax, and contains the description of the largest known number of skills and techniques of the weapon usage. The treatise is divided into 78 paragraphs grouped in three parts – an introductory one describing the ways of combat between right-handed warriors and the part showing…

Edward fon Lenz – a founder of Russian weaponology

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Samgin S. (2018). Jeduard Jeduardovich Lenc kak osnovatel’ rossijskogo oruzhievedenija [Edward fon Lenz – a founder of Russian weaponology]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 5-6, pp. 111 — 130. Samgin S. Abstract: The article deals with the creative legacy of Edward fon Lenz (1856-1919) who appeared to become a founder of Russian weaponology. Today for a variety of reasons his papers except the most important ones are almost unknown in Russia. The focus of his interests lying in the field of historical weapons studying was very wide ranging from the systematization and description of the Russian collections of weapons to the analysis of archaeological arms and armour, from the studying of the weapon manufacturing centers to the general popularization of the weaponology. He wrote both small articles and major works, the deep scientific papers and general-audience essays. The best period for his scientific life was the years between 1899 and 1918…

The Origins and Appurtenance of Richly Ornamented Weapons Transferred from the Ministry of Defense of the USSR to the Armoury Chamber in 1955

Articles

Novosyolov V. (2018). Proishozhdenie i prinadlezhnost’ gruppy dragocennogo oruzhija, postupivshej v oruzhejnuju palatu iz Ministerstva Oborony SSSR v 1955 godu. [The Origins and Appurtenance of Richly Ornamented Weapons Transferred from the Ministry of Defense of the USSR to the Armoury Chamber in 1955]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 5-6, pp. 77 — 110. Novosyolov V. Abstract: The article is devoted to the group of richly decorated edged weapons transferred from the Ministry of Defense of the USSR by order of G.K. Zhukov, the Minister of Defense, to the Kremlin Armoury Chamber in 1955. The group consists of two daggers, a Caucasus cavalry word (shashka) and seven sabers. One of the daggers represents an Iranian dagger type usually called “khanjar”, the other is a Caucasus “kama”. Two sabers are of “Asian type” with golden mounts decorated with colored enamel, diamonds and other precious stones. Another saber represents again the “Asian type”…

The Battle Axes of Afghanistan

Articles

Miloserdov D. (2018). Boevye topory Afganistana [The Battle Axes of Afghanistan]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 5-6, pp. 66 — 76. Miloserdov D. Abstract: Axe is a short-bladed weapon of slashing blow and simultaneously one of the oldest weapons for a close combat. Because of its great effectiveness stemming from the combination of arm-handle and relatively heavy and massive blade with short and hence well centered striking surface axe was very handy and consequently favored weapon to fight close-in from day one. In the eastern countries it was also quite popular and widespread. Good number of battle axes being used in India and Persia were known and described while axes which were current in near by Afghanistan haven’t deserved the scholarly attention yet. Two main types of battle axes which could be called the “afghan” one are distinguished today and several their variants appear to have been typical for the…

Studying of Persian and Indian Miniature as Primary Source for Weapon History Research (methodological aspects)

Articles

Malozyomova E., Kurochkin A. (2018). Osobennosti metodologii issledovanija persidskoj i indijskoj miniatjury kak istochnika po izucheniju istorii oruzhija [Studying of Persian and Indian Miniature as Primary Source for Weapon History Research (methodological aspects)]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 5-6, pp. 27 — 65. Malozyomova E. Kurochkin A. Abstract: The article is devoted to the aspects of using oriental miniature as a primary source. Drawing on a number of concrete samples of Persian and Indian miniature art, the authors reveal the dependence of the painting informational validity on the understanding of its authenticity and the place, time and circumstances of its creation. The only way to get the relevant data is the usage of different approaches to the study of miniatures illustrating epic and mythological stories, court chronicles, fairy tales or historical events as well as paying attention to the aims of miniature making: either for an only aristocratic patron or for the…

What is atajo

Articles

Alifer A. (2018). Chto est’ atajo [What is atajo]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 5-6, pp. 5 — 26. Alifer A. Abstract: The article is devoted to the term atajo – one of the words used in the Spanish fencing school La Verdadera Destreza. The term can’t be either translated or corresponded with any other one from thesaurus of both different fencing schools and even more so contemporary competitive fencing. Hence atajo can claim being the most complex term in destreza. As a rule in the guidebooks for fencing the word is taken for granted but it the course of time it lost its true meaning which is obscure today. Analyzing the texts by the Spanish fencing masters like Don Luis Pacheco de Narváez, Dom Diogo Gomes de Figueyredo, Francisco Antonio de Ettenhard y Abarca and others and comparing the information with the contemporary linguistic data the author speculates about the…

On the Dagger belonged to Timothy Jaschik, the Bodyguard Cossack in the Emperor Nikolas II and the Empress Maria Fjodorovna Service

Articles

Talantov S. (2016). Kinzhal Timofeja Jashhika — kamer-kazaka pri imperatore Nikolae II i imperatrice Marii Fedorovne [On the Dagger belonged to Timothy Jaschik, the Bodyguard Cossack in the Emperor Nikolas II and the Empress Maria Fjodorovna Service]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 4, pp. 62 — 73. Talantov S. Abstract: The article is devoted to the Caucasus dagger of the kama type with scabbard provided with an inscription on its mouth. On the author’s opinion the personal name which was mentioned in the inscription defines the dagger’s owner, of a Kuban Cossack Timothy Ksenofontovich Jaschik, who in 1902 was on service in Tiflis. Timothy Jaschik and his astonishing fate which was tightly connected with the family of the last Russian Emperor is attractive to the vast audience who take interest not only in the history of the Cossacks weapons but in the Russian history of the beginning of the 20th…

An annotated translation and description of an untitled Persian archery manuscript written by al-Abdolrāji Abu Torāb al-Musavi al-Qad Makāhi on a day of Jumada al-Thani, the year 1114 (November 1702)

Articles

Khorasani M.M., Dwyer B. (2016). An annotated translation and description of an untitled Persian archery manuscript written by al-Abdolrāji Abu Torāb al-Musavi al-Qad Makāhi on a day of Jumada al-Thani, the year 1114 (November 1702). Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 4, pp. 85 — 114. Khorasani M. Dwyer B. Abstract: The present article provides a translated and annotated text of a Persian archery manuscript. This untitled manuscript on archery is kept in the Majlis Library (Library of Iranian Parliament; Ketābkhāne-ye Majles Irān) with the inventory number 149. It consists of 43 pages. The author of the archery manuscript signs his name at the end of the text as  al-Abdolrāji Abu Torāb al-Musavi al-Qad Makāhi and dates it to Jumada al-Thani, the year 1114, which is November 1702 in Gregorian calendar. There is no further information about the author of the archery manuscript. The manuscript consists of twelve chapters and a…

A Dismountable Dagger by Geurk Eliarov from Tiflis

Articles

Talantov S. (2016). Razbornyj kinzhal raboty Geurka Jeliarova iz Tiflisa [A Dismountable Dagger by Geurk Eliarov from Tiflis]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 4, pp. 51 — 61. Talantov S. Abstract: The article is devoted to a dagger with scabbard and knife and fork attached which was made by Geurk Eliarov, a famous bladesmith who lived in Tiflis in the first half of the 19th century and who founded the whole Eliarov dynasty of bladesmiths. Different weapons made by the master are preserved in The State Hermitage Museum, in The Arsenal of the Tsarskoe selo State Museum, in The State Historical Museum and The Dagestan Combined Historical and Architectural Museum in Makhachkala as well as in private collections. Objects by Eliarov are considered to be among the best samples of Caucasus weaponry. The distinctive feature of this particular dagger is its ability to be taken into two parts and…

A Brief Review of the Soviet Cavalry Sword of 1927 Year Pattern

Articles

Samgin S. (2016). Kratkij obzor sovetskoj shashki obrazca 1927 goda [A Brief Review of the Soviet Cavalry Sword of 1927 Year Pattern]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 4, pp. 37 — 50. Samgin S. Abstract: Despite the large number of samples of the soviet cavalry sword of 1927 year pattern year pattern, preserved in the museums and private collections, the history and features of this Russian long-bladed weapon have been studied poorly. The little available information is scattered across the focused primary sources, which were put out in limited editions though, and electronic media. The present situation obstructs not only the studying of the weapon history, but even the attribution of several its systems. The main idea of this review is to summarize and systematize all the available information on this weapon. The review includes the general data on the cavalry sword of 1927 year pattern, the structural dynamics, its…

Typology of Shamshir Hilts

Articles

Miloserdov D. (2016). Tipologija rukojatej sabli-shamshir [Typology of shamshir hilts]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 4, pp. 22 — 36. Miloserdov D. Abstract: The article deals with Persian sabers, the so called “shamshir”, dating back to the end of the 18th- the beginning of the 20th century. The author defines the territory of these sabers usage as quite vast including not only Persia, India, Afghanistan and Turkey but the countries of Northern Africa and the Arabian East as well. Such a wide circulation of shamshir is stressed to be a result of large export of Persian blades which were of higher quality than the local ones. Outside of Persia the blades often acquired hilts made in local traditions presuming both special constructive principles and the materials used which permit to trace the place of a shamshir usage. In India for instance the “classical” shamshir blades were often mounted in…

Two Pairs of the Short Ritual Swords of Vietnam

Articles

Barczewski S., Vetukov V. (2016). Dve pary korotkih ritual’nyh mechej iz V’etnama [Two Pairs of the Short Ritual Swords of Vietnam]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 4, pp. 5 — 21. Barczewski S. Vetukov V. Abstract: The article is devoted to the description of two pairs of short swords preserved in a private collection. These swords are marked with features specific to both the Vietnamese and Chinese traditions of weapon making. Some of their details permit to qualify the weapons as ritual objects used by peoples inhabiting the mountains of Northern Vietnam. Thus the blades of all daggers were engraved with images of tendrils of different clambering plants. This decorative motive symbolizes the virility or literary struggle for the place in the sun in the Vietnamese culture. Another specifically Vietnamese blade detail is an ornately cut plate of copper alloy put on the base of the one pair blades.…

Saber Blades and Pole Arms with “Rolling Pearls” in the Collection of the Moscow Kremlin Museums

Articles

Chubinsky A. (2016). Sabel’nye klinki i drevkovoe oruzhie s «zhemchuzhinami» v sobranii muzeev Moskovskogo Kremlja [Saber Blades and Pole Arms with “Rolling Pearls” in the Collection of the Moscow Kremlin Museums]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 3, pp. 86 — 101. Chubinsky A. Abstract: The paper is devoted to a group of cold weapons reposited in the Armoury Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin museums. These are saber blades and spear heads that were provided or used to be provided with “rolling pearls” inserted to the fullers, two iron-cut maces, and an axe which because of the audible sound of clattering elements inside, on the author’s opinion, could be corresponded to the weapons with “rolling pearls”. The author states the weapons with “rolling pearls” to have been made in Russia in the first half-first third of the 17th century while the range of their types was as wide as it…

Plated Chain Mails from Count Sheremetev’s Collection

Articles

Schindler O. (2016). Kol’chato-plastinchatye dospehi iz kollekcii Sheremeteva [Plated Chain Mails from Count Sheremetev’s Collection]. Istoricheskoe oruzhievedenie [Weapons History Journal], № 3, pp. 102 — 112. Schindler O. Abstract: Plated chain mail is an armour made of metal plates connected with separate rings and ring chains. This type of armour often fitted with mail sleeves and laps was widespread in Rus in the 16th-17th centuris. The specificity of its construction permitted more or less effective combination of the mail flexibility and the hardness of coat-of-plates. Today about two hundred samples of the armour type of both Russian and foreign (oriental) origin are reposited in the Russian arms and armour storages. The paper is devoted to five plated chain mails from the private collection of count Sheremetev. These pieces are a perfect example of the armour used in the times of Moscow Rus. Today they are not at display and kept out…