Sword Sunday #14: The Ethiopian Shotel

For a generation who grew up hearing about the blight and famine in north Africa, its hard to think of the lands of Somalia and Ethiopia as one-time powerful strategic players on the world stage. In fact, modern Ethiopia was one of the thwarts in world war II to Benito Mussolini's  drive to fully control all of northern Africa. The Heritage of Ethiopia as a world power dates back through history, and is the same land that was refereed to as Abyssinia during the roman empire. Today, weapons and artifacts from both cultures are often forgotten about, but none the less central to historical studies for those wishing to better understand the region.

If you were to study England, there is no doubt that you would hear of the arming sword, and the fantastic blade Excalibur. 

Germany is perhaps best linked with the titanic Zweihander. 

France (Thanks in large part to modern cinema and Alexandre Dumas) is intrinsically linked with the art and use of the rapier. 

And Ethiopia's history was shaped by its own native blade, the Shotel. 

Shotel and scabbard, on display at the British Museum. 

Where European and Eastern blades were largely built as, or along the ideas of straight lines at the time, the north african Shotel was a curved blade of about three feet in length, with a cross section that is usually described as 'diamond'. The severe curve the weapon, rather than bowing towards a target, like a saber, or scimitar, would bow away, with the tip and the axis of the handle on the same line. The blade's shape could also be exploited as a means to reach around a shield and stab deeply into an opponent's kidneys or lungs.  The 'classic' shotel was edges on the inside of the curve, with some examples also having a back edge as well. One noted characteristic of later designs is that while the tip was extremely pointed, the last several inches of the weapon were not sharp, and some material exist suggesting that shotel users were taught to grip the end so that they could use the whole length of the blade as a brace to block an incoming strike. 

The earliest mention of a Shotel type blade dates back to the early age of the Kingdom_of_Aksum (100 BCE) when the blades were made of Iron and early steel. When Ethopian Emperior Amda Seyon I took the throne in 1314, he reorganized his army, and created an elite core group of swords men, all armed with the shotel. Called the Axurarat Shotelai, the were part of the army's main striking force, and were able to quickly engage, and dispatch their adversaries. 

Painting of Dejazmach Hailu, governer of Hamasien in the Asmara region, armed with a shotel.

Dejazmach Hailu held office during the reign of Emperor Tewodros II (1855-68)

Long, thin, narrow, and very strong, especially by the end of its use militarily in the early 16th century,  the Shotel was used by foot soldiers, cavalry, and mounted guards alike for most of its existence. A Season 3 spidose of the Discovery channel series forged in Fire highlighted the weapon's design and its characteristics in this unaired deliberation scene. [Please note, the construction here is not historical in materials or technique, but the design characteristics mentioned are reliant to the weapon's capabilities.]

The Shotel was still carried for ceremonial purposes as late as the 18th century, but fell out of use completely with the 20th century. The decline of Ethiopia as a regional power, as well as nationalistic (and some would argue racial) tendencies on the part of European and American powers have caused the history of this weapon, and the people who used it to fade from the larger historical  record in the subsequent decades. 

#Swordsunday is intended as a fun and educational series of posts for the enjoyment of readers. 

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"