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Weapon Type

Edged Weapons

Weapons with a cutting or piercing blade.

Category Overview

Overview

Edged weapons — weapons whose primary mechanism of injury is a sharpened blade — represent the oldest and most diverse category of purpose-made human weapons. From the first knapped flint knives of the Stone Age to the combat knives issued to modern soldiers, the edged weapon has been a constant presence in human conflict for over 2.5 million years.

The category encompasses weapons optimized for different purposes:

Major Subcategories

Swords

The sword — a blade longer than 30 cm with a handle — is the defining edged weapon of military history. See: Swords, Longswords, Broadswords, Sabers & Cutlasses, Rapiers, Falchions, Short Swords, Katana & Japanese.

Daggers & Knives

Short bladed weapons carried as sidearms, tools, or concealed weapons. See: Daggers & Knives.

Axes

Heavy chopping weapons combining a blade with a weighted head; among the oldest edged weapons. See: Axes.

Bayonets

Bladed attachments for firearms; transformed the musket into a spear. See: Bayonets.

Pole Weapons with Blades

Bladed heads on long hafts combining edge and reach — naginata, glaive, halberd. See: Pole Weapons, Halberds & Poleaxes, Spears & Lances.

Materials History

| Period | Material | Notes | |--------|----------|-------| | Stone Age | Flint, obsidian | Sharper than steel; brittle | | Bronze Age | Bronze | First reliable metal edge | | Iron Age | Iron, early steel | Widely available; progressively superior | | Medieval | High-carbon steel | Quenching and tempering refined | | Modern | High-alloy steel, ceramics | Corrosion-resistant; specialized alloys |

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