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The
khopesh (khopsh) was an ancient Egyptian weapon which first
became popular beginning with the period when upper and
lower Egypt were united under one pharaoh. The khopesh design
was devastatingly effective and changed the development of
edged weapons around the known world. Its sickle-like blade
could be edged either on the inside or outside curve, or both.
The
spine of the weapon (the strongest part of the blade, generally
opposite the blades edge) was made to be heavier than
the spine
of most other swords. Edged to the outside, the weapon was extremely
effective at creating slashing wounds. Edged to the
inside, it was used for hacking an opponent. In either case,
the heavy spine of the weapon and center of gravity centered
along
the blade instead of close to the hilt made the khopesh the
most effective weapon of the period. Given the limitation of
smelting
and metalworking during the early Egyptian dynasties, most of
the weapons were crafted from iron or bronze. As time, and
technology progressed, the khopesh design evolved into a number
of other styles; the materials used for crafting these weapons
also improved, making them even more deadly. The Greek kopis
is the most easily recognizable descendant of the khopsh
design. The falchion design of the middle ages evolved from
the khopesh design via the kopis; the saber is the most recent
descendant of the khopesh concept.
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