Saber or Backsword – the Contibution of Steppes Mounted Warriors in One Technological Innovation of Eurasia (8th – 10th centuries)

The author focuses on the edged weapons with a straight or slightly curved blade. Two thirds of the blades of such weapons have a single-edged upper part and a double-edged lower part. The handle and blade are developed on the same line. The guard of these weapons is characterized by an elliptical sleeve at the top and a horizontal hole at the bottom, while the shoulder ends are rounded and flat. This type of weapon was common in the steppes of Eastern and Central Europe and in its characteristics was close to a saber, and several centuries later it received the name “palas = backsword”. Besides, weapons with such characteristics can be associated with one of the most discussed terms in the written sources of the early Middle Ages – παραμήριον. Undoubtedly, these weapons were used by mounted warriors in the steppes, but finds from territories in the Balkans – a zone of military conflicts and technological exchange between the First Bulgarian Kingdom and the Byzantine Empire – further confirm the contribution of steppe horsemen to this technological innovation of Eurasia in 8th – 10th centuries.