Ancient weapons thread(torture devices and surgical utensils also welcome)

Show me some cool weapons from history.
Old artwork with weapons being used would be good too.
This thread should be long, with everyone trying to beat the person before them with a cooler weapon and then a heated debate should break out over which was more effective and then it should go through like an awkward period but people will keep posting weapons and discussion will come back but then a wierd off topic discussion will begin and I'll be kind of pissed because I won't be interested and eventually we'll run out of weapons but every few months some one will discover a torture method or something from some time in history and post about that and so on for a few years untill in 2011 when it becomes uncool to talk about history at all.


But that will just be a phase and when its over we will have a renewed interest in history and extra enthusiasm for this thread.
ok you first.

 

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I'll start with medieval stuff, since its what i know more about.
Doing reenacting with it all has ensured I dont really want to be on the business end of anything, unless I happen to be armed with an assault rifle at long range.

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If it works, its a photo stolen from raven armoury:
http://www.raven-armoury.co.uk/home.html
who are rather good.
You can see here some single handed medieval swords, around 1200 and 1300's. More made for cutting, and probably with a shield as well. I expect these to be well balanced and easy to use. If anyone tells you medieval european swords are heavy and hard to use, send them my way, I know some people who show them the error of their ways. You can flick a well balanced sword about in a fashion guaranteed to impress, when you know what your doing.

 

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Is this a guess the weapons thread?
At top you have some bronze stuff, doesnt look european, and what are those weird things that look like spikes with rear handles?
Underneath, a big shield with some perhaps Kris's, as well as Indian knives, and some things that could be more like beheading swords. There was a thread last year with some pics on it of them and suchlike, can anyone dig it out?
Then a random collection of swords of little provenance and I'm no expert anyhow.
Then those recurve short bows beloved of central asian tribes, nifty on horseback. Actually, that reminds me, apparently the Japanese long bow thingy is the only one of it size in the world that can be used on horseback, because it has a short lower limb, and can therefore be put back and forwards over the horses head.
Then what could be a roman short, stabbing sword, for use in close wuarters form behind shields. the romans were very good at that. Hide behind a sheild, work together with your mates, when someones attacking the bloke next to you, and hitting his shield, you just stab him in the kidneys. Very useful, for then.
Then various wooden barbed spears, native to somewhere. With a spear thrower, which are cool things, I want to try throwing a spear with one.

 

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Mystical sword thingy based off a scimitar.

 

i havent got a pic, but you know the swords that the uruk hai use in the LOTR movies, they are closely based on real swords

(note, the uruk hai carry them the wrong way round)

 

Hmmm, maybe we should say where weapons are from and what era... but then, I wouldn't be able to tell you that about any weapons I could find either. That should be the challenge to whoever though.

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Anyone know where this is from?

 

http://www.tbns.net/arvex/pics/mace.jpg
God damn

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Mystical sword thingys suck. theres too much extraneous detail that things can get caught in, or affect the balance. Just give me a nice plain bastard sword, diamond section, about 36 inches blade. Then we're talking bits of limbs flying everywhere. Other people limbs.
Dr lounatic, that weapon pic for the quiz doesnt work.

Neither did the Tbns link below, it looks like you have to log in.

 

Here is some, all though I have no idea what they are......
http://www.polaris.net/services/image-archive/weapons/polarm11.jpg

 

Look european to me, maybe late medieval, but they could be more eastern, the shapes do seem a little odd. In the uk nowadays we'd call them partisans, spears with extra sharp lugs at the base. The one at the far right has something below the blade, apparently halberds had what were bundles of wool, in order to avoid the blood getting onto the handle and making it slippery. You can obviously stab, and with the lugs, trap an opponents weapon, by pinning it to the ground, leaving your mate to finish the now defenceless enemy off.

 

Now tell me Mr. Weapons expert tell me what the hell is this.
http://dana.ucc.nau.edu/~msb46/dao.gif

 

That looks like the weapons used in Kung Fu, ever seen them Shaolin monks waving them around? Really scary.

 

Some of my favs.

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(VERY early MRLS).

 

this was used alot....

http://www.sciforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2784&stc=1

 

If you are talking about a movie/show I didn't see it.

 

Well certified psycho, there are many movies, shows, books and documentations in which you can see those weapons, I am sure you will stumble across one sometime.

 

Bit difficult to tell without anything to determine size, but I'd say they're various forms of Japanese Naginata. Basically, a polearm used by noble Japanese women for self defense and as a form of martial art, developed from an earlier battlefield weapon.

 

Hey Dr Lou Natic, that thing on the picture of your post is a medieval war hammer of european origin, I would say.