The history of the sword, the author writes in his introduction, is the history of humanity. For centuries, the sword has been a symbol of power, strength, liberty, and courage. In the Middle Ages, the image of a sword was used to signify the word of God. Nearly every culture in history has forged blades from stone or steel to fight in times of battle and protect in times of peace.
In this groundbreaking work, Richard Francis Burton, explorer, translator, scholar, and swordsman, draws on a wealth of linguistic, archaeological, and literary sources to trace the millennia-old history of the sword. From its earliest days as a charred, sharpened stick to the height of craftsmanship in the modern era, the sword has been the weapon of choice for warriors of all stripes.
In eloquent, captivating prose, Burton describes:
? Dirks
? Daggers
? Knives
? Sabers
? Cutlasses
? The origin of the weapon
? The weapons of the age of wood
? The Copper Age of weapons
? The Iron Age of weapons
? The sword in ancient Egypt
? The sword in ancient Greece
? And more
Nearly three hundred line drawings enhance Burtons richly detailed text. Any reader of history or student of weaponry will find this book a fascinating, highly enjoyable read.
The most deeply researched and generously detailed history of the sword of all time.
Papildus informācija
The most deeply researched and generously detailed history of the sword of all time.
| Foreword |
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xiii | |
| Introduction |
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xv | |
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I Preamble: on the Origin of Weapons |
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1 | (15) |
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II Man's First Weapons---The Stone and the Stick. The Earliest Ages of Weapons. The Ages of Wood, of Bone, and of Horn |
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16 | (15) |
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III The Weapons of the Age of Wood: The Boomerang and the Sword of Wood ; of Stone, and of Wood and Stone Combined |
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31 | (22) |
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IV The Proto-Chalcitic or Copper Age of Weapons |
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53 | (21) |
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V The Second Chalcitic Age of Alloys---Bronze, Brass, Etc.: The Axe and the Sword |
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74 | (23) |
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VI The Proto-Sideric or Early Iron Age of Weapons |
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97 | (26) |
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VII The Sword: What is It? |
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123 | (20) |
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VIII The Sword in Ancient Egypt and in Modern Africa |
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143 | (29) |
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IX The Sword in Khita-Land, Palestine and Canaan; Phenicia and Carthage; Jewry, Cyprus, Troy, and Etruria |
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172 | (27) |
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X The Sword in Babylonia, Assyria and Persia, and Ancient India |
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199 | (21) |
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XI The Sword in Ancient Greece: Homer; Hesiod and Herodotus: Mycenæ |
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220 | (24) |
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XII The Sword in Ancient Rome; The Legion and the Gladiator |
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244 | (18) |
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XIII The Sword Amongst the Barbarians (Early Roman Empire) |
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262 | (18) |
| Conclusion |
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280 | (1) |
| List of Authorities |
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281 | (10) |
| Index |
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291 | |
Richard Francis Burton was an explorer, translator, writer, soldier, spy, fencer, and diplomat. He is most famous for his translations of One Thousand and One Nights and the Kama Sutra and for having been the first European to visit the Great Lakes of Africa. He traveled to Mecca in disguise and spoke nearly thirty languages. He died in 1890.
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