Guns, bombs, and nonlethal alternatives are the weapons of today, with melee weapons quickly becoming a thing of the past even in the poorest third world countries; where battles are fought now, it is at great range with weapons people couldn't have even imagined centuries ago. But let us not forget the mlee weapons that shaped the world for over a thousand years.
The sword in particular has a special place in the hearts of many. Perhaps it is because it is the preferred weapon of duelists, and we find something special about the idea of two men facing off, skill against skill.
Whatever the reason, though, it is undeniable that the sword is the most common weapon when it comes to popular culture melee weapons. Be it the curved grace of the Japanese katana, or the simple efficiency of an Italian rapier, swords have a tendency to show up when you need to suitably epic duel.
But let's not ignore the other weapons of ages past. For example, the spear. Despite the somewhat weaker popularity of it in pop culture, it is a fact that a spear is almost universally considered superior to the sword; there is a saying that a swordsman most possess three times the skill of a man wielding a polearm to best him.
For this reason, polearms have served as the primary weapons of the vast majority of armies since the dawn of human history. The relative ease of making simple spears, combined with their high efficiency, makes it hard to find a weapon more suitable for the armies of ages past.
The last of the popular melee weapon types is bludgeoning and bashing weapons. Maces, morningstars, flails, even some bladed weapons such as axes fall into this territory. While these weapons have their own flaws, their simple efficiency means they cannot be ignored.
One key use of bludgeons is as a tool to defeat heavily armored foes. An enemy that a sword can barely scratch can be destroyed completely by a mace or warhammer. There were even several time periods where, because of how common heavy armor was, maces and flails overshadowed swords as knights preferred sidearms.
Finally, lets give a bit of recognition to shields. While not strictly speaking a weapon, a shield is almost unmatched for value in a melee fight, even if they aren't particularly popular in modern movies and culture.
A skilled fighter can defeat almost any attack with a good shield in his hands, and the best can use them as a brutally effective bludgeon. Dual-wielding may be popular in movies and games, but I'll take a shield for my off hand any day in real life.
That's all I have to say about melee weapons today. I hope you've learned a little about the weapons that defined our history for so many years, and that you give them at least a little respect even in a world with guns and bombs. - 30300
The sword in particular has a special place in the hearts of many. Perhaps it is because it is the preferred weapon of duelists, and we find something special about the idea of two men facing off, skill against skill.
Whatever the reason, though, it is undeniable that the sword is the most common weapon when it comes to popular culture melee weapons. Be it the curved grace of the Japanese katana, or the simple efficiency of an Italian rapier, swords have a tendency to show up when you need to suitably epic duel.
But let's not ignore the other weapons of ages past. For example, the spear. Despite the somewhat weaker popularity of it in pop culture, it is a fact that a spear is almost universally considered superior to the sword; there is a saying that a swordsman most possess three times the skill of a man wielding a polearm to best him.
For this reason, polearms have served as the primary weapons of the vast majority of armies since the dawn of human history. The relative ease of making simple spears, combined with their high efficiency, makes it hard to find a weapon more suitable for the armies of ages past.
The last of the popular melee weapon types is bludgeoning and bashing weapons. Maces, morningstars, flails, even some bladed weapons such as axes fall into this territory. While these weapons have their own flaws, their simple efficiency means they cannot be ignored.
One key use of bludgeons is as a tool to defeat heavily armored foes. An enemy that a sword can barely scratch can be destroyed completely by a mace or warhammer. There were even several time periods where, because of how common heavy armor was, maces and flails overshadowed swords as knights preferred sidearms.
Finally, lets give a bit of recognition to shields. While not strictly speaking a weapon, a shield is almost unmatched for value in a melee fight, even if they aren't particularly popular in modern movies and culture.
A skilled fighter can defeat almost any attack with a good shield in his hands, and the best can use them as a brutally effective bludgeon. Dual-wielding may be popular in movies and games, but I'll take a shield for my off hand any day in real life.
That's all I have to say about melee weapons today. I hope you've learned a little about the weapons that defined our history for so many years, and that you give them at least a little respect even in a world with guns and bombs. - 30300
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If you still want to learn more about ancient weapons, you should to check out my article about Roman Swords and other weapons of the Roman Legions.
