Interesting discourse guys, thank you!
In beginning this thread my objective was to discuss some swords (cutlasses as it were) which I thought were aligned with the so called 'pirate coast' situated on eastern littoral of Arabia. What evolved has become even more fascinating and comprehensive thanks to the great entries here.
Actually, not surprisingly, it turned out these examples were actually from regions in Yemen and from familiar types there, with the expanse of Yemen and its profound external contacts experiencing a spectrum of variations in the swords present.
This revealed that Yemen was but one center in the vast sphere of sword forms, from those distinctly recognized and via the keen desperation of many collectors, and often scholars, to inclusion in the typically jargon oriented glossaries of what have become known loosely as 'collectors terms'.
The intriguing discourse here exploring the evolution of these vast spheres of colonization, indeed much of which was pioneered by Portugal in the 'Age of Discovery' in the 14th century, offers an interesting comparison.
Much in the way the necessary development of the 'lingua francia' concept, which in not confined to one particular pairing or amalgam of languages, the diffusion of weapon forms traveled through cultural spheres profusely.
By analogy, the styles and elements of hilt forms evolving throughout the vast cultural spheres and colonized regions becomes comparable to the diffusion of languages, and of course the evolution of 'lingua francia' language forms, which evolved into a sort of amalgam the prime languages. In comparison to the evolution of words in the lingua francia becoming a commonly recognized language, the styles and elements of swords from other cultural spheres prevalent in a region, became incorporated into locally favored styles.
With the complexity of the vast trade systems, and the confounding networking within presents the equally vast conundrum of trying to classify these various sword forms and their variants. While we try to use the blades in identification, despite being able to distinguish them typically through their character, markings etc. these were so widely traded as a commodity. In addition, blades were commonly replaced through the working lives of swords, which kept them circulating through many generations in many cases.
While there has been through the years, an understandable relative futility in trying to accurately classify these forms and their variants, I am glad to have the shared expertise and knowledge clearly exchanged here bringing these plausibilities and well supported observations into a comprehensive look at these conundrums.
Expansion is a good thing, as it is of course growth, and rather than deviation I see the growth of this thread in these expanded angles of observation toward the knowledge needed to better understand the diffusion of these sword forms.
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