Acinaces
| Acinaces | |
|---|---|
|
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| Information | |
| Weapon type: | Short sword, dagger |
| Designations: | Acinaces |
| Use: | military weapon |
| Creation time: | about 7th century BC Chr. |
| Working time: | 5th century BC BC to 2nd century AD |
| Region of origin / author: |
Medes |
| Distribution: | Persians , Scythians , Greeks |
| Overall length: | about 40 to 45 cm |
| Blade length: | about 30 cm |
| Handle: | Wood, metal, |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Acinaces (also Akinakes or Akinaka ; from ancient Greek ἀκινάκης , m. ) Was a mixture of dagger and short sword. The weapon was used in the first centuries BC. Used in the eastern Mediterranean.
Description and use
The Acinaces was a double-edged straight short sword that could be used for both stabbing and cutting . It was ideally suited as a second weapon, as it was small and handy and was only light in weight. The Acinaces was used by Scythian horsemen and spearmen. This short sword was also often used for guard services, which is proven by half-reliefs. The scabbards were often lavishly decorated, as the Acinaces was also an object of prestige in the Persian culture.
history
The Acinaces (Latinized spelling) was first used in the 7th century BC. Used by Scythians from the Black Sea region and probably came through the Scythian invasion of the South Caucasus. However, the Romans believed the Medes were the origin for this weapon, whereby it should be noted that these Scythians were absorbed in the Meder Empire. In the old Persian Empire , the weapon quickly spread through the Persian army and thus also reached the eastern Mediterranean . There is evidence of a relief of Dareios I who holds an Akinaka in his hand. Scythians and Persians in particular used this weapon and richly decorated it. In the third century BC The Akinaces also appeared in the Greek armies. There are also indications that it was spread along the Silk Road , where it was referred to as kyn'k in the Sogdian language . The weapon lasted until the 2nd century BC. The antenna-shaped ends of the handle are typical.
literature
- Richard F. Burton : The book of the sword. 1884, Dover Publications, New York NY 1987, ISBN 0-486-25434-8 (Reprint), pp. 210, 212.
- Hans Droysen : Ἀκινάκης . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume I, 1, Stuttgart 1893, Col. 1168 f.
- Nick Evangelista : The encyclopedia of the sword. , Greenwood Press, Westport CT 1995, ISBN 0-313-27896-2 , p. 463
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hermann Quantity: Quantity-Güthling: Greek-German and German-Greek dictionary. Manual and school edition, Part I: Greek-German. Langenscheidt, Berlin 4.1927, p. 27.