Since ancient times, people have made and used various types of weapons. With its help, a person obtained food, defended himself from enemies, guarded his home. In the article we will consider ancient weapons - some of their types that have been preserved from past centuries and are in the collections of special museums.
From stick to club
Initially, the first weapon of man was an ordinary strong stick. Over time, for convenience and greater efficiency, they began to make it heavier and give it a comfortable shape. By shifting the center of gravity to the end of the gun, they achieved maximum acceleration and a heavier blow. So there was an ancient weapon - a club. For use in a collision with enemies, wedges of stone or metal were driven into the branch. Manufacturing was cheap and did not require any specific skills to use. Any strong man could use it, unlike the spear, which had to be practiced in advance.
Bogatyr Mace
Due to the constant conquest of territories and the emergence of wars, the requirements for weapons asstriking tool grew. A club made of wood could not cope with the tasks assigned to it. Therefore, they began to fetter it with iron and equip it with spikes. Thus, the following ancient Russian weapon arose, which began to be called a mace. At the end of its handle was a stone or metal pommel with spikes or iron feathers. A reasonable distribution of force made it possible to shorten the gun. There was no need to carry it on the shoulder, it was enough to put the mace in the belt. In addition, its effectiveness sometimes surpassed the qualities of the sword. A blow with a mace stopped the enemy faster than a slash with a sword on armor.
Melee weapons
Along with the club, the warriors used such old edged weapons as an ax and a sword. The ax is a battle ax that was used in close combat. The chopping part of this tool is made in the shape of a crescent. The usefulness of the ax was that the rounded blade could cut through helmets and shields without getting stuck in them. The handle of the ax differed from the clumsy one in that it was straight and convenient for interception from one hand to the other. The balance was maintained due to either the severity of the butt, or the presence of a second blade. The chopping blows of the ax were very effective, but expended a lot of the warrior's strength. It was impossible to swing it as often as a sword. The advantages were that the ax was easy to forge, besides, the dulled blade did not reduce the force of impact. The ax was capable of breaking the neck and ribs under the armor.
Here it is worth noting what isan ancient weapon, like a sword, although it was combat, was created using expensive technology, and only mercenaries and aristocracy had it. He was capable of inflicting cutting, chopping and stabbing blows. In Russia, swords appeared in the middle of the 8th century thanks to the Scandinavian warriors, who changed them for beaver and fox fur. Their origin is evidenced by the hallmarks found on the blades found on Russian lands. The remaining parts of the swords were produced or improved by ancient Russian craftsmen. Later, the sword was replaced by the saber, which the Russian soldiers borrowed from the Tatars.
When the smell of gunpowder
With the invention of gunpowder in the X-XII centuries, ancient firearms arose, which began to be used in China. The first use of cannons in Russia is mentioned in the description during a collision with Khan Tokhtamysh in 1382. Such a weapon was called a handgun. It was a metal tube with a handle. Gunpowder, poured into the barrel, was set on fire through a special hole with a red-hot rod.
At the beginning of the 15th century, a wick and then a wheel lock appeared in Europe to set fire to the contents. When the trigger was pressed, the cocked spring started the wheel, which, in turn, rotated, rubbed against the flint, striking sparks. At the same time, the gunpowder ignited. It was a complex ancient weapon that could not replace the matchlock, but became the prototype of pistols.
The flint lock appeared in the middle of the 16th century. In it, sparks igniting gunpowder were carved by flint, locatedinside the trigger and hitting the flint and flint. The cartridge, which contained a lead bullet and a charge of gunpowder, was put into use at the end of the 17th century. Later, the weapon was equipped with a bayonet, which made it possible to participate in close combat. In the Russian army, the principle of operation of weapons did not change, the differences were only in certain types of structures corresponding to each type of troops.
