Well, since there where so few other differences, the existence of curved swords might have been enough to make them "iconic" of eastern arms.
When asking a returning crusader to describe the arms and armour of the muslims, he would (especially early on) answer "They are much like us, only they have round shields, and some have curved swords"
Since he is asked to identify differences.

However, some sources only have one of the features. The Mac has only the round shields, the illustation posted by Mikko only the curved swords.
Probably, this varied with what anecdotes the illustrator had heard.

A though arises that perhaps the illustrator is guessing at the form of a sword described Biblically. Curved swords were certainly present in ancient Canaan and Egypt, so perhaps this is not an attempt at a shamshir so much as a guess at something much older, such as a kophesh. If the artist were versed in the Bible, which he almost certainly was, then that might explain his interpretation. Here is what I found.

Judith 16:9 Her sandals ravished his eyes, her beauty took his mind prisoner, and the fauchion passed through his neck.

SCIMITAR
sim'-i-tar, -ter (akindke): Formerly given as "fauchion" in the King James Version Judith 16:9, the weapon which Judith took down from the rail of the bed at Holofernes' head, and with which she severed his head from his body.

Here is a thread that covers some of these pictures and discusses some of the possibilities for these curved swords appearing in art. The curved swords show up about half way through the thread which has got a lot of good info included thanks to Richard's hard work.

The Difference Between a Messer and a Falchion?
http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t...mp;start=0

I have been looking into these for a while and still do not have a satisfactory solution to why they depicted these. Some of the possible explanations seem to work in one picture but in the next they will illustrate other types so just saying that they are trying to show a curved sword does not seem to fit. The curved sword blade was probably more common in Europe at that time then the Near East.

There is evidence that this did become convention over time for the "outsider" to be depicted with more curved blades but it does not always hold true. Probably a dissertation in there for anyone looking for a topic :)

Best
Craig

I found this in the book "Die Condottieri", it shows Filippo Scolari, Firenze, about 1445.

---

 Attachment: 21.48 KB