Историческое оружиеведение (Mar 2023)
Analysis of Traditional Georgian Terminology for Bulat and Damascus Steel
Abstract
The article deals with historically established Georgian terminology for Bulat and Damascus steel[1]. Samples of Damascus steel products have been seen in Georgia since the early Iron Age. The most ancient Bulat steel product in Georgia is a sword which was found by archaeologists in the Daryal Gorge and dates back to 1000 A.D. Analysis of existed terminology is performed using a comparative etymological analysis of specialized metallurgical terms, explanatory dictionaries and fragments of literary monuments. The author also relies on materials of field ethnographic research and takes into account historical cultural contacts of Georgia with neighbouring civilizations of the Near East. The article notes that in the Georgian spoken and literary language it is typical to use generalized terms to describe different but same-type objects. This fact significantly complicates the analysis of terminology used in sources reviewed. For example, the term hmali could imply any kind of a long-bladed weapon [be it saber, sword, shashka or palash] in ancient literary monuments and ethnography. The article reviews and analyzes such basic terms for types of steel and blade material as basri [ბასრი], pʼoladi [ფოლადი], ǰavardeni [ჯავარდენი] as well as special terms: nanači rkina [ნანაჭი რკინა], nalpʼara (also lamfara, nafura) [ნალფარა, ლამფარა, ნაფურა], načdi rkina [ნაჭდი რკინა], tobart’ini [ტობართინი], t’asmaguli [თასმაგული], etc. Examples of regional terminology are given.
