25 Historical Weapons That Made Us Say 'Whoa'

  

If Game of Thrones and Vikings show us anything about viewers, it's that we sure do love a good battle. And aside from muscular warriors, the epitome of those fights is the weaponry they wield: axes, daggers, cannons - oh, my! While the tools have gotten more advanced over time, the ingenuity of simpler times is clearly astonishing.

Check out the coolest historical weapons we discovered, and vote up the ones that make you say "whoa!"

 

18th-Century Pirate Pistol

Photo: Fuzzcat / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY 2.0

Commonly used by pirates as they traversed the high seas, cutlass flintlock pistols combined the up-close practicality of a knife for hand-to-hand fighting with the longer-range usefulness of a gun.

As a flintlock pistol, it was small enough to be carried in one hand, but loading it took time.

 

17th-Century Dagger Made Partially From A Meteor

Photo: Daderot / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Made for Mughal Emperor Jahangir, the dagger incorporated meteoric iron that fell from the sky in 1621. To Jahangir, the descent of the meteor was a divine sign.

In his memoir, The Jahangirnama, Jahangir described the crash of the meteor as "so terrifying that it nearly frightened" his subjects "out of their skins." When Jahangir's officials arrived at the site, they found scorched earth and began to dig: "The deeper they dug, the hotter it was. Finally, they reached a spot where a piece of hot iron appeared."

Once in his possession, Jahangir had the iron weighed and tasked one of his men to "make a sword, dagger, and knife" for him. When warned the metal would break under the weight of a hammer, it was decided the "lightning" iron would be mixed with other iron before being forged into weapon blades. The meteoric iron was said to "cut beautifully" and was inscribed with the words, "A spark of imperial lightning."

The dagger was given to the Smithsonian in the 1950s, and, according to the curator of South and Southeast Asian art at the Smithsonian’s Freer and Sackler galleries, Debra Diamond, it was described as a "gift from the heavens." 

 

A Stone-Preserved Arrow, Seventh Century BC

Photo: u/myrmekochoria / Reddit

Spotted in an Assyrian relief from the seventh century BC, the arrow appears to be in flight as it approaches its target - a lion.

Purported to be found in a relief depicting a lion hunt, perhaps one staged to highlight King Ashurbanipal's (668-627 BC) abilities as a triumphant warrior, the arrow is distinct among mere carvings of arrows found in other royal reliefs.  

 

Aztec Sacrificial Knife

Photo: Dennis Jarvis / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA 2.0

With handles made of wood and blades formed out of flint, Aztec sacrificial knives were used for ritual sacrifice. This knife thought to have been found in a cave, features a handle that has been crafted to look like the god Xiuhtecuhtli, celebrated during the Aztec month of Izcalli.

During the ceremony honoring Xiuhtecuhtli, individuals pretended to be the god of fire before being burned and then slain with the knife. 

 

Minoan Double Ax, Circa 1600 BC

Photo: Wolfgang Sauber / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA 3.0

According to scholars, in Minoan culture, the double ax was considered a weapon wielded by the sky god. Also called the labrys, the double axes found at Knossos on the isle of Crete may have had connections to the labyrinth myth of the palace, which were intricately and confusingly designed by Daedalus to prevent the Minotaur (half-man, half-bull) from escaping.

Numerous double axes that date to roughly 1600 BC seem to have been crafted for use as weapons or for cutting wood. Made out of bronze, they incorporate elements of gold, ivory, and clay, as well. 

 

18th-Century Katar Push Dagger

Photo: Daderot / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Native to the Indian subcontinent and commonly used during the Mughal Empire, Katar daggers are push weapons with H-shaped handles. To use a push dagger, an individual gripped the cross-handle, making a fist that allowed for powerful punch-like stabbing.

This particular dagger is made of several metals, including steel, iron, silver, and copper, and was most commonly used by nobles for hunting or close combat. 

 

Shamshir Curved Sword

Photo: u/1NbSHXj3 / Reddit

With a flat, curved, single-sided blade, the 18th-century shamshir features gold inscriptions in Nastaliq, an Arabic script.

The intricate pommel-style hilt with a parrot's head atop its grip, according to the description at the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, is thought to be Mughal or Deccan in origin and can be dated to sometime between the second and 17th centuries. 

 

Iron Short Sword, Han Dynasty

Photo: u/oldspice75 / Reddit

A weapon designed for hand-to-hand fighting, the Han short sword integrates gold ornamentation onto an iron blade. With depictions of flames and clouds, the sword measures nearly 14.5 inches long and was found in the tomb of Prince Liu Sheng (d. 113).  

Swords made during the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) were stronger than their predecessors, believed to hold spiritual qualities only channeled by an expert. 

 

Medieval Sword

Photo: Szilas / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

With a host of sword designs available from the Middle Ages, the Nydam swords like this one were crafted in Scandinavia (often found in bogs by archaeologists), crafted by blending layers of steel and iron. Nydam swords were hard and tough, but some scholars believe the joining of metals may have been for economic or aesthetic purposes, as well as usefulness.

Nydam swords ranged from 30 to 40 inches in length, with stamped or inscribed blades decreasing in breadth from nearly 3 inches at the hilt to 1 inch near the point. 

 

Galgano Sword, 12th Century

Photo: Adrian Michael / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA 3.0

Intricately tied up with the legend of the sword in the stone, the San Galgano sword is embedded in the ground where Saint Galgano embedded it in defiance of worldly duties. Born in 1148, Galgano Guidotti retreated to a life of solitude in the mountains of Tuscany, where he used his sword as a symbol of the cross rather than a tool of war.

The San Galgano sword was crafted using metals that date to the 12th and 13th centuries, attesting to its origins, although placing it in the hands of a saint remains impossible. 

 

Siege Cart

Photo: Cncs / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA 4.0

When tasked with bringing down a castle or some other fortification, siege weapons provided the brute force needed to attack.

In ancient China, siege carts carried ladders, weaponry, and supplies, while simultaneously offering protection and inflicting damage. 

 

Neolithic Stone Ax

Photo: JMiall / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA 3.0

Crafted out of stone and wood, this Neolithic stone age ax was found at Ehenside Tarn in Cumberland, England. The stone blade is polished, seemingly set within its original handle.

Discovered by R.D. Darbyshire during the 1870s, it is one of several Langdale axes, found distributed throughout Britain. Langdale axes derived their name from their manufacture in the Great Langdale valley of England's Lake District. 

 

Greek Yatagan, Early 19th Century

Photo: Mourad Ben Abdallah / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA 3.0

Wielded by Yannis Makriyannis (1797-1864), a leading figure in the Greek War of Independence during the early 19th century, the yatagan is a weapon developed by the Ottoman Turks as early as the mid-16th century.

The yatagan features a curved iron blade but is better known for its handle made of bone. Makriyannis's yatagan, much like other weapons of its kind, includes some elaborate ornamentation, but also boasts a Turkish emblem often used by sultans. 

 

Crescent Ax Head, Circa 1300 BC

Photo: u/fpriyakorn / Reddit

Discovered in the Lorestan Province of modern Iran, this crescent head ax dates sometime between 1500 to 1300 BC. Axes were used by cavalrymen and infantrymen alike, with lethal blades attached to staffs of varying lengths.

Pre-Iron Age (c. 1200 to 600 BC) crescent ax heads were made out of copper or bronze and attached to wooden handles through accompanying socket holes. This particular ax head is bronze, characteristic of weapons forged in the Lorestan area. 

 

Roman Knife With Bone Handle, Circa Third Century

Photo: A Redditor / Reddit

Found at Sremska Mitrovica in northern Serbia (the ancient city of Sirmium in what was once the Roman province of Pannonia), this knife features an iron blade with a bone handle (presumably from an animal).

 

Gold-Inscribed Khanda Sword

Photo: u/1NbSHXj3 / Reddit

With a straight, double-sided steel blade, the khanda sword was a traditional sword used by the military class in India. Designed as a thrusting and hacking weapon, this khanda has a basket hilt to keep one's hand safe, with an additional hilt extending from the pommel so it could be wielded with both hands.

This khanda also features gold Sanskrit inscriptions alongside gold inlaid decorations in the koftgari style and a velvet-lined scabbard similarly adorned with gold. 

 

Bronze Cannons Aboard The Belle Shipwreck, 17th Century

Photo: Cmeide / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA 3.0

While attempting to colonize the Gulf Coast, one of French explorer Rene-Robert Cavelier's four ships, La Belle, wrecked in Matagorda Bay. The ship was discovered more than 300 years after it sank in 1686 and was home to numerous excavations and preservation efforts that lasted nearly 20 years.

Four bronze cannons from La Belle accompanied additional "weaponry such as long guns, lead shot, [and] sword parts." Each of the cannons was between 5 and 6 feet long and weighed anywhere from 750 to 800 pounds. The cannons themselves revealed much about the ship, with royal crests and noble insignia indicating to archaeologists that the wreck was, in fact, the La Belle. 

 

Ceremonial Knife, Circa 15th Century

Photo: Simon Burchell / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA 3.0

Either Mexico or Aztec in origin, this ceremonial knife has a flint blade with an ornately decorated wooden handle. The handle resembles an eagle warrior, an elite infantry soldier within the Aztec military.

Most likely never used in battle, the sacrificial knife integrates conch, oyster, and mother of pearl shell with turquoise and malachite into the mosaic on its handle. Found in Mexico at an unidentified location and unknown time, the knife measures roughly 12.5 inches long. 

 

14th-Century Steel Sword

Photo: Walters Art Museum / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

European in origin and noticeably undecorated, the 14th-century sword was a staple on the battlefield. While styles varied throughout Europe, many medieval swords like this one featured double-sided blades with grooves to lighten their weight. The long handle, large pommel, and square quillons (crossguards) indicate it may have been used as a thrusting weapon held with both hands.

Crafted out of steel, the weapon changed hands several times during the 1920s before arriving at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1931. 

 

Medieval Axehead

Photo: The Portable Antiquities Scheme/The Trustees of the British Museum / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA 2.0

Dating to the early medieval period, the iron axehead is asymmetrical and has spurs near the socket. According to scholars, this style indicates Scandinavian origins, supported by the discovery of the axehead in Buckinghamshire - the site of numerous Viking incursions.

Axes used by Scandinavians during the Middle Ages varied in size and materials, with many more decorative weapons featuring silver and gold inlays. This axehead is made entirely out of iron. 

 

Left-Handed Italian Dagger, Mid-17th Century

Photo: Walters Art Museum / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

This type of steel dagger, made sometime between 1650 and 1675 in central Italy, was initially developed in Spain. As a parrying weapon, the dagger was also designed for defense.

While brandishing the short blade in one's left hand, an individual would hold a longer rapier in his right hand. This dagger features a flat blade with a ricasso area, or an unsharpened portion, close to the top. Notches and grooves precede the extremely sharp, double-edged end. The hilt of a parrying dagger often had a cup over it to protect hands and fingers. 

 

Roman-Period Mace Head

Photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Discovered in Egypt sometime before 1915, this copper mace was crafted between 30 BC and 364 AD. The mace head is nearly 3 inches in diameter, perhaps more Egyptian in influence than Roman. Romans, with their highly trained, structured military, didn't use maces as much as their swords and spears.

Maces and mace heads were commonly represented in Egyptian artwork and found at Egyptian burial sites, however. 

 

Syro-Hittite Dagger

Photo: Gary Todd / Flickr / Public Domain

Syro-Hittite civilization dates back to the first millennium BC and was comprised of numerous independent kingdoms.

 

A Guide To Popular Historical Swords

Photo: u/Dlatrex / Reddit

Offering a quick glimpse into different types of swords used throughout history, this guide represents just how effective swords have been across the centuries. Changes to blades, hilts, pommels, and crossguards aside, the fundamental purpose of a sword remains - to cut or thrust during a melee.

That said, innovation and experimentation with swords reveal how their designers found ways to address vulnerabilities, adapt to available resources, and give swords both practical and cultural importance. 

 

Luxury Swords And Daggers, Circa 1800 BC

Photo: Zde / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA 4.0

Discovered on the island of Crete, the Minoan swords seem to have been used for no other purpose than inflicting harm upon fellow humans during some sort of ceremony instead of in battle. The daggers, some of which may be a bit too long to fall into the conventional category of the dagger, were used for stabbing.

As weapons that date from 1800 to 1600 BC, they feature ivory pommels, stone hilts, gold rivets, and bronze blades.