Khopesh

From Karate, Kungfu, Wrestling, Mixed Fighting Information Source

The Khopesh or 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 blade’s 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.