Судан и Большой Ближний Восток

259 Alexander S. Matveev. A Case of Survival of an Early Medieval Straight Sword... III. Causes of survival of straight swords in Sudan Besides being an important element of the local warfare, the Sudanese sword is also a good example reflecting a general problem of Medieval warfare, namely comparative development of straight and curved blades in the East and West. The major problem related to the kaskara swords is the reason of their very existence, as in the most part of the Middle East and North Africa the straight blade was almost totally superseded by a more sophisticated curved sabre. Hence, the reason for preserving of this type of sword in Sudan requires some scrutiny. Basically, there could be two reasons of using some weapon in a given culture: (1) technical advantages in the context of the given warfare system that allow to perform its military task and (2) power of tradition or fashion. Thus, first of all, there should be a ‘ technical ’ reason rooted in some basic features of the Sudanese warfare that made the straight sword more suitable weapon than a sabre. To understand this phenomenon, one has to consider general reasons behind transition to the curved blades in the Middle East, as there — similarly to Europe where the Viking, or Carolingian, broadswords initially prevailed— the early medieval swords were straight; the curved sabre as the main type of edged weapon emerged later. 1. Curved sabre vs. straight sword Let us start fromcomparing the main features of straight and curved blades. First, the sabre possesses some major advantages, as the curved blade’s stroke combines two simultaneous actions: (1) cutting/hewing the target (this major function of the straight sword remained, being even strengthened, as a curved blade at the point of percussion can apply a greater pressure on the unit of surface than a straight one), but also (2) “slicing”/“sawing” it. Unlike the straight sword which almost immediately stops after its falling on the target (however strong the initial blow was!), the sabre blade continues its slashing movement — even under its own weight — producing a long-lasting pressure on the surface, thus being able to cut deeper through unarmoured parts of