Weapons of Warriors is a photographic study containing many of the most renowned, prestigious, and historical Arabic and Turkish swords from the 12th through the 19th century. Every sword is professionally studio photographed in the highest resolution and corrected color. Each weapon is presented in multiple angles, many in life size across two pages to provide the reader with the most detailed appreciation of the skill, craftsmanship, and artistry involved in the hand crafting of these famous Shamshirs, Kilics, Nimchas, Yatagans, and Saifs. The Askeri Military Museum of Istanbul, Turkey, has set a new standard in international art and cultural exchange by opening its entire collection to the authors. The museum staff provided every assistance to be certain that their most magnificent and important weapons were photographed for this study. The museum director of edged weapons even took the time to pen an essay (included herein) on the Turkish Yatagan. Working with the authors is an international team of writers from Germany, India, and Egypt who provided additional information on the science behind these historically significant blades, traditional koftgari decoration, as well as the translation of ancient passages that adorn the edged weapons in this study. This beautiful book is produced for everyone who loves the lore and lure of edged weapons, whether they are beginning students, historians, collectors, or connoisseurs of these most artistic and deadly weapons of warriors.

Rome's rise to empire is often said to have owed much to the efficiency and military skill of her armies and their technological superiority over barbarian enemies. But just how 'advanced' was Roman military equipment? What were its origins and how did it evolve? The authors of this book have gathered a wealth of evidence from all over the Roman Empire - excavated examples as well as pictorial and documentary sources - to present a picture of what range of equipment would be available at any given time, what it would look like and how it would function. They examine how certain pieces were adopted from Rome's enemies and adapted to particular conditions of warfare prevailing in different parts of the Empire. They also investigate in detail the technology of military equipment and the means by which it was produced, and discuss wider questions such as the status of the soldier in Roman society. Both the specially prepared illustrations and the text have been completely revised for the second edition of this detailed and authoritative handbook, bringing it up to date with the very latest research. It illustrates each element in the equipment of the Roman soldier, from his helmet to his boots, his insignia, his tools and his weapons. This book will appeal to archaeologists, ancient and military historians as well as the generally informed and inquisitive reader.

This volume presents the history of sharp-edged weapons with a directory of over 350 examples from Medieval rondels to the knives of World War II.

In Avar-Age Polearms and Edged Weapons, Gergely Csiky offers a presentation of close combat weapons of a nomadic population that migrated from Inner Asia to East-Central Europe. During the late 6th – early 7th centuries, the Avars led successful military campaigns against the Balkan realms of the Byzantine Empire, facilitated by their cavalry’s use of stirrups for the first time in Europe. Besides the classification, manufacturing techniques, fittings, suspension, distribution, and chronology of polearms and edged weapons known from Avar-age burials, a special emphasis is laid on the origins and cultural contacts of these weapons, among them the first edged weapons with curved blades: the sabres. The social significance and, function of these artefacts is discussed in order to place them in nomadic warfare.

The history of China is a history of warfare. Rarely in its 3,000-year existence has the country not been beset by war, rebellion, or raids. Warfare was a primary source of innovation, social evolution, and material progress in the Legendary Era, Hsia dynasty, and Shang dynasty -- indeed, war was the force that formed the first cohesive Chinese empire, setting China on a trajectory of state building and aggressive activity that continues to this day. In Ancient Chinese Warfare, a preeminent expert on Chinese military history uses recently recovered documents and archaeological findings to construct a comprehensive guide to the developing technologies, strategies, and logistics of ancient Chinese militarism. The result is a definitive look at the tools and methods that won wars and shaped culture in ancient China.

This book examines the history of edged weapons in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East and surrounding areas before gunpowder increased the distance between combatants. It takes a critical look at the relationship between the soldier, his weapon, and the social and political mores of the times; examines the historical background and metallurgic science of the knife, sword, or bayonet respectively; and explores the handling characteristics and combat applications of each weapon. The book is written for those with an interest in exploring the historical beginnings of edged weaponry, how edged weapons have been used in war in different parts of the world, and the value the soldier attached to his weapon. Military, social, and political history is discussed. Although more than one-hundred photos and illustrations are represented, arms collectors or others with detailed interest in the finer points of weaponsmithing may want to look for books that are more heavily illustrated. The book comprises the full series of ten previously published shorter book on specialized edged weapons and regions, each of which can also be purchased separately: 1. Kukris and Gurkhas: Nepalese Kukri Combat Knives and the Men Who Wield Them 2. Machete, Kris, and Throwing Iron: Edged Weapons of Latin America, Indonesia, and Africa 3. Cold Steel: The Knife in Army, Navy, and Special Forces Operations 4. Japanese Swords: The Katana and Gunto in Medieval and Modern Japanese Warfare 5. Chinese Swords: The Evolution and Use of the Jian and Dao 6. Yatagan, Khanda, and Jamdhar: Swords and Sabers of Persia and India 7. Sickle Sword and Battle Axe: Edged Weapons of Ancient Egypt 8. Gladius and Spatha: Swords and Warfare in the Classical World 9. Longsword and Saber: Swords and Swordsmen of Medieval and Modern Europe 10. Pike, Halberd, and Bayonet: Sharp Weapons in Near Modern and Modern Warfare