The sword is a bladed weapon that is used for cutting. The blade of a sword is usually long; reaching lengths up to 80 cm. The sword evolved from the dagger(a short bladed weapon).
A sword’s handle is usually called a hilt, but is also known as a haft, or shaft. The hilt consists of a guard, grip and pommel. A pommel is an enlarged fitting at the top of the handle. The purpose of the pommel is to prevent the sword from slipping from a hand.
The grip is the handle of the sword. It is usually made of wood or metal and is often covered with animal skin. The guard is just above the grip. Early swords do not have true guards but simply a form of stop to prevent the hand slipping up the blade when thrusting.
The earliest known weapons that can be classified as swords date back to about 3300 B. C. The use of the sword is known as swordsmanship. Two common types of swords are thrusting swords and sabers. Thrusting swords were designed to impale their targets quickly and inflict deep lacerations. Thrusting swords were long and straight and most effective when they were thrusted forward. However they were not very useful for chopping or slashing.
The saber was built more heavily and was more typically used in battle. Built for slashing and chopping at multiple enemies, the saber’s blade was long and curved. Most sabers also had sharp points and double-edged blades; this was an advantage for a soldier on horseback. The United States Navy were still keeping sabers known as cutlasses in their arsenal well into world war II.
Swords were used by armies throughout the world; A longsword (also spelled as long sword or long-sword) is a type of European sword that has a cross shaped hilt with a grip for primarily two-handed use. Dao are Chinese swords, primarily used for slashing and chopping. A katana is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to make it easier to hold with two hands. A cutlass is a short, broad saber or slashing sword; it was a popular weapon among naval officers and pirates.
Warriors stored and carried their swords in a sheath that was also known as a scabbard. Most commonly, sword scabbards were worn suspended from a sword belt or shoulder belt called a baldric. Scabbards have been made of many materials, including leather, wood, and metals such as brass or steel.
Swords became less common weapons in the early 19th century. Most of the world’s militaries were trading swords up for firearms.
