| Shotel ሽቶል/ሽተል | |
|---|---|
 A shotel in the collection of the British Museum | |
| Type | Sword |
| Place of origin | Dʿmt, (modern day Eritrea) |
| Service history | |
| In service | Dʿmt, Axumite Kingdom, Kingdom of Shewa, Ethiopian Empire |
| Used by | Chewa regiments |
| Wars | Ethiopian–Adal War Ottoman-Portuguese War of 1538 British-Abyssinian War First Italo-Ethiopian War |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 0.9–1.8 kg (2.0–4.0 lb) |
| Length | 76–102 cm (30–40 in) |
| Blade length | 40–64 cm (16–25 in) |
| Blade type | Curved blade, double-edge |
| Hilt type | Simple wooden or rhinoceros horn piece with no guard |
| Scabbard/sheath | Leather, decorated with precious metals |
A shotel (Ge'ez and Amharic: ሽቶል/ሽተል) is a curved sword originating in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia. The curve on the blade varies from the Persian shamshir, adopting an almost semicircular shape. The blade is flat and double-edged with a diamond cross-section. The blade is about 40 inches (1 m) in total length and the hilt is a simple wooden or rhinoceros horn piece with no guard similar to the jile or jambiya. The shotel was carried in a close fitting leather scabbard which was often decorated in precious metals and worn on the right side.[1]
- ^ *Stone, George Cameron (1999) [1934]. A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration, and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times. Mineola NY: Dover Publications. p. 562. ISBN 0-486-40726-8.