Swords

Ancient Swords

Ancient Swords

By definition, a sword is a white, long, straight, sharp and cutting weapon, with a fitting and a hilt. Ancient swords could measure between 50 and 90 cm, depending on the era, they tended to one length or another.

Swords were designed with the purpose of serving as a protective and attacking tool, although they also played a secondary function, that of indicating the social status of their owner, since they could reach a really high value. Some ancient swords had such exclusive decoration that only people with a high position within the social and economic scale of the time could afford them.

Types of ancient swords

Although in general we can affirm that almost all the swords were unique pieces, we can group them according to a series of characteristics. Depending on the sharpening of the blade and the type of handling:

Depending on the sharpening of the blade, there were single-edged and double-edged swords. Swords with a symmetrical blade were usually double-edged, while those with an asymmetrical blade had only one side of it sharpened.

Depending on the type of handling, one-handed and two-handed swords can be distinguished. Two-handed swords used to be much longer than one-handed ones. In fact, it is rather the length and weight of the sword that defined the way in which it was used and not the other way around. Longer ancient swords were used in the times of the Middle Ages, while shorter one-handed ones were more popular during the time of the ancient empires.

Sabers

The saber, according to the definition we have given of a sword, would not be included in the category. Due to its curved blade, it is considered another type of knife.

A saber is a white, curved, single-edged weapon. The saber was developed to increase combat speed. Due to its curved nature, this weapon did not remain embedded in the enemy's body, which made the combat much faster. In addition, it was a very light weapon, its maximum weight did not exceed 500 g and its length was 90 cm. The saber was used mainly by cavalry and infantry.

In our Artestilo Medieval Store you will find recreations of all types of ancient swords, from Iberian or Roman swords to Vikings.

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