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Khopesh (ḫpš; also vocalized . khepesh is the Egyptian name of the Canaanite "sickle-sword", in Assyrian known as sappara. Its origins can be traced back to third millennium BC Sumer.[citation needed]
A typical khopesh (also called a scimitar) is 50-60 cm (19.685 to 23.622 inches) in length, though smaller examples do also exist. The blade is only sharpened on the outside portion of the curved end. The khopesh evolved from the epsilon or similar crescent shaped axes that were used in warfare. This makes the khopesh not a true sword (which evolved from daggers), but a specialized battle-axe-sword. However, unlike an axe, the khopesh did not make push-cuts, but rather slashes, like a Sabre or a Katana. The khopesh went out of use around 1300BCE.
Various pharaohs are depicted with a khopesh, and some have been found in royal graves, such as the two examples found with Tutankhamun.
Although some examples are clearly sharpened, many examples have dull edges which apparently were never intended to be sharp. It may therefore be possible that some khopeshes found in high status graves were ceremonial variants.
Later the Khopesh was slowly developed into what is known as the Kopis. This variant was adopted by Alexander the Great for its effectiveness.
History of the Khopesh
The khopesh played a significant role in Middle Eastern warfare more than two millennia before the advent of Islam. The Egyptians of the 18th Dynasty(circa 1600 B.C.E) used new weapon technologies borrowed from the Hyksos, including the general shape of the "sickle-sword" as important tools in fostering Egypt's regional domination which characterized much of the New Kingdom period. This provides evidence for the use of something akin to the scimitar well before the development of the Persian shamshir.
See also
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