Over the centuries warfare has been a key aspect in the destruction and expansion of many civilizations. So it is reasonable to say that weapons were a key tool in the making of many empires. There are many variants of the common "weapons" we hear of today. Such as the sword and the katana. You may think them similar but there are in fact many differences in their usage and their very attributes. So let us get into the report now, and keep in mind that many weapons also have a cultural significance, not just a power in war.
The sword over the centuries could possibly be considered the most significant and popular weapon in pre-modern warfare. They are known throughout the world and are unmistakeable. Whether they be curved, straight, double edged, or and variant of things. Even today they are still valued in some cultures for their heritage and cultural history. here, lets start with a brief history of the first traces of the sword. Swords developed in stages throughout the centuries and it is very controversial as to whether the first swords were created during the bornze age or the iron age. This is not because they don't have replicas but it is actaully because some do not consider the "long daggers," that were developed in the bronze age, long enough to be swords because many did not exceed the length of a mere 90in.(2.9ft). This is because this length was at the tensile strength of the bronze, causing it to bend if it was too long. China was one of the most successful civilizations with the smithing of bronze. Some of the earliest swords can be found there dating up to 2300 b.c.
The sword of Goujain- 2500 years old
During the iron age the technology to bring about true swords became availible and this is where our story shall really begin. During the iron ages civilizations started to branch off in seek of new lands to add to their fresh empires. During the 13th century (beginning of the iron age), iron found its way to many now flourishing civilizations such as china, persia(iran), greek, italy, and all over the mediteranean. During this iron age the civilizations split off in their forms of swords, western culture mostly stayed to the double edged straight sword however. Persia and the arabic countries created swords that were curved, as did the chinese and Japanese empires.
The Scimitar
During the development of more advanced warfare in the middle east a new weapon was developed. The scimitar. This was developed from the Turko-mongo sabre. one of the first swords of its kind. It was curved because it is beleived by some that because of the curve, the slashing power of the sword is greatly increased.
The Katana
During the fourth century a new sword became popularized in japan. The katana. This to some is even considered the pinnacle of sword making and the most effective sword in close combat. This view is controversial however with so many aspects of swords to consider. It was developed to help samurai pull it from their scabbards much faster than was possible with the straight sword. The japanese were very dependant on cavalry at times so this helped when it was neccesary to draw the sword from horse back as quickly as possible. Another controversial subject related to the katana is its suspected duplicate, the Tachi. the tachi by some is believed to be slightly longer and more curved than the katana, but others say a katana is merely considered a tachi when worn from the belt with the edge down. A katana is when it is worn from the girdle with the edge up. Whatever is the truth it is shown that the tachi (style) was discarded in favor of the katana.
The Dao and Jian
During china's great legacy many weapons were developed to aid in their conquests of foreign lands. During their expansion two great and fearsome swords were developed to aid with this goal. The dao was the first of two of these swords to arise. Its earliest usage dates back to even the late bronze age. It is similar in some ways to other turkish scimitars but was developed much earlier and is usually larger in overall size. While being somewhat large it is very useful as a one handed blade. It was developed by the brief reign of the mongol dynasty, who based it off of the similar Turkish sabre.
