Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - need help with an all-steel Chopper.

Nihl · 29th July 2021, 10:55 PM

I have to support the "South Indian chopper" attribution. It matches known examples in both blade style and decoration. One thing to note about that, however, is that if this was merely a machete/farming tool (in my opinion anyways) it wouldn't be so highly decorated. Why add so much carving to something that's just going to get covered in "plant guts" anyways? Thus, I would propose a ceremonial/sacrificial use for this item. Something sort of like the South Indian equivalent of the northern Ram Dao.

In terms of dating, an 18th/19th C dating is appropriate, as items not cared for very well in South India do indeed tend to rust up pretty fast.

29th July 2021, 10:55 PM	#10
Nihl Member Join Date: Feb 2018 Posts: 87	I have to support the "South Indian chopper" attribution. It matches known examples in both blade style and decoration. One thing to note about that, however, is that if this was merely a machete/farming tool (in my opinion anyways) it wouldn't be so highly decorated. Why add so much carving to something that's just going to get covered in "plant guts" anyways? Thus, I would propose a ceremonial/sacrificial use for this item. Something sort of like the South Indian equivalent of the northern Ram Dao. In terms of dating, an 18th/19th C dating is appropriate, as items not cared for very well in South India do indeed tend to rust up pretty fast.