Medieval Weapons

Kids love dressing up and can often spend an entire day trying on new outfits and putting on fashion shows. Parents should understand that playing dress up can also be a learning opportunity for a child. That means that each time a child tries on a new outfit their parent might give them a quick history lesson.Dressing up can make learning fun for kids. It’s so easy for children to become restless and bored when trying to learn from a book. Next time your child dresses up in, say, one of those battle helmets from the Middle Ages, talk to them about who was king during that time and how helmets protected soldiers during battle.

Since the beginning of time, rivalry and the desire for domination have existed in our society.  An early Biblical account relates the murder of Abel by his brother, Cain.  He likely used his own body or a simple rock as the weapon.

In order to survive prehistoric man developed tools that were initially constructed for killing animals for food and clothing.  Crude axes were built of wood and stone.  In the end these weapons were used to conquer neighbors and settle disputes.  In this simple manner families were conquered and alliances formed.

After many years of small conquests, finally in 2500 B.C. the first organized armies of record appeared in Mesopotamia, which is now modern day Iraq. There were several surviving artifacts of these ancient people.  One of the most important and informative was an inscribed pillar known as the Stele of Vultures which depicts an army of men, wiedling spears, axes, daggers and javelins.  These ancient weapons were probably constructed of bronze.  Also shown on the Stele of Vultures was the early military tank–a two-man chariot pulled by donkeys.

Also surviving these ancient warriors was a finely constructed battle helmet.  It was constructed of a gold and silver alloy and such an outstanding piece of armor was probably worn by the ruler.

I have often wondered if there are LARP societies that reenact these ancient historical events.  Prehistoric man would obviously be fun in the sun.  If reenactors utilized chariots, these could be developed using wagons that are boxed in.    If you know of these societies, I would appreciate hearing from you.
 

A rapier is a slender, sharply pointed sword with a long blade and a complex, sometimes embellished hilt primarily used for thrusting attacks in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries.  The hilt of the rapier is made to protect the hand that wields it.  Also called a hilt rapier, this thrusting sword was called other things as well due to the tendency of sword masters of the time using description of a sword’s function as a method of naming it.

It is thought that the rapier began to develop in Spain around the year 1500 as a type of dress sword for civilians and duels.  It became increasingly fashionable over time in Europe among the wealthier classes, but always had its detractors. With its long reach, the rapier allowed for fast reactions suitable for civilian combat in the 16th and 17th centuries.  Military-style swords for cutting and thrusting purposes continued to evolve to meet battlefield needs, and rapiers continued to change with the times as well, becoming lighter and shorter and eventually succumbing to the widespread use of the smallsword in the 1700s.