Ancient Weapons

[Infraredkelp]

This is the thread where we discuss ancient weapons. I'll start it off with a few of my favorites: One of the hardest hitting weapons used by medieval knights was the flail. Its jointed head increased the force of the blow. It required great skill. In the hands of the untrained it was as dangerous to the user as it was to his opponent. A sweet looking axe. The pole axe, one of the most favored weapons of its day, saw service with knights of all countries in the list and on the battlefield. The English knights at Crecy and Agincourt chose to dismount and fight on foot with poll axe and spear. This brutally efficient mace could easily crush armor and break bones. The spiked head concentrates the force of the blow on the points, making short work of even the strongest armor. Most of these weapons were found on http://www.armor.com/index.html Enjoy!

[Shuriken-Pete]

Though I love and own many Japanese arms, my favorite weapon is the boomerang. Used most commonly by the Aborigines. They come in many shapes and sizes depending on its geographic/tribal origins and intended function. The most recognizable type is the returning boomerang, a kind of Throwing Stick that, when thrown correctly, travels in a curved path and returns to its point of origin. Other types of boomerang are of the non-returning sort, and indeed, some are not thrown at all but are used in hand-to-hand combat by Aboriginal people. Boomerangs can be variously used as hunting weapons, percussive musical instruments, battle clubs, fire-starters, decoys for hunting waterfowl, and as recreational playthings. The smallest boomerang may be less than 10 cm from tip-to-tip, and the largest over 2 meters in length. Tribal boomerangs may be incised and/or painted with designs meaningful to its maker. Most boomerangs seen today are of the tourist or competition sort, and are almost invariably of the returning type. We have a lot to thank the Aborigines for!

[King and God]

I have always loved swords the most myself, altough I think the flail with three balls is sexy and some axes too. Here's some of the swords I find sexiest: I couldn't find any real picture of this one, but you get the idea what it looks like. I took the pics from this site: http://www.albion-europe.com/shop/

[ninja9578]

My favourite sparring weapon is the Epee sword, but against a sabre style fencer I like to use Sais and the three sectional staff. The three sectional is extrememly difficult to get good at, but once you do it becomes a formitable weapon.

[bluefinger]

No-dachi, Katana, or Nagamaki blades are ones I like a lot, though I also like chinese sabres (Dao), push-daggers, and the Qiang spear.... Those are melee weapons I like. Primarily, I've always felt mostly fascinated with Oriental weapons, since in terms of design, they are just different. I also have a thing for bows and crossbows. British longbows or composite bows are awesome... I've made a couple of bows before, though they were alright, nothing amazing. If I had access to a proper workshop and to the right materials, I could come up with something nasty....

[Infraredkelp]

Rocks!!!!!!!

[.:Rob:.]

They did some cool tests on ancient weapons on National Geographic - Fight Science. You can see it on DivX and youtube. Personally I've always loved katana's - ever since I first saw Pulp Fiction:p .