Spear

A spear is an ancient weapon, used for hunting and war consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a sharpened head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be of another material fastened to the shaft. The most common design is of a metal spearhead, shaped somewhat like a dagger.

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The spear is far and away the most common type of pole weapon, and may be seen as the ancestor of such weapons as the lance, the halberd, the naginata and the pike. Also a bayonet mounted on a rifle forms a type of spear. Spears used for close combat require different designs than those intended for throwing. One of the most famous throwing spears is the pilum used by the Romans.

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Spears, one of the earliest weapons fashioned by human beings and their ancestors, are still used for hunting and fishing. The spear survives as a military weapon in the form of the bayonet, and as a lance it was used in combat as recently as 1939 (Polish Lancers attacking Wehrmacht Armored units).

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It is arguable that from the late bronze age until gunpowder weapons became commonly available the spear was the most common personal weapon (not the *ideal* source, but: http://www.anvilfire.com/iForge/tutor/atli_spear/index2.htm).

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The utility and longevity of the spear in the personal arsenal of people around the world rises from several factors, among them: versatility, cost, ease of use, effect.

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A spear is a versatile weapon that can be used for hunting and warfare, and in melee and as a missle. In regions of limited resources this alone was reason enough for the spear to become ubiquitous: the tool that brought down game for meals also slew animals that threatened crops and livestock also was an effective weapon in war.

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A spear is a relatively low cost weapon or tool by comparison with other weapons available in the periods of the spear's greatest use. In pre-industrial societies where metals and the ability to work them are expensive materials and skills the spear was seen as "cost effective". The steel required for a sword, for example, would be sufficient to make two, three or more spear heads. A spear not only takes less metal, but does not require the same quality of material, time or ability to manufacture and the result is still a weapon of potentially lethal effect.

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A spear is relatively easy to use. Again in comparison with contemporary weapons in the periods of the spear's widest use, a spear requires less training and practise to be effectively wielded. (Please note that is "effectively" not "expertly".) Modern experiments by reenactors in the United Kingdom have shown that a group of people could be trained to use spears in an effective shield wall as militia in a few weeks of part time training.

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Spears are effective in several senses, some of them already mentioned. Effective in being a cost effective, relatively easy to wield weapon that could be quickly deployed to field relatively large numbers of militia. Effective in that the enemy or prey by the nature of the weapon is kept at a distance. And, finally, effective, in the sense important for all weapons: in the hands of an experienced user it is fast and lethal.

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Weapon: ::The following article refers to the instrument of fighting or hunting. For other uses, see Weapon (disambiguation). See military technology and equipment for a comprehensive list of weapons and doctrines....

Hunting: :This article is about the hunting of prey by human society. For other uses of the word "hunting", see Hunting (disambiguation). "Hunter" and "huntress" redirect here; for other uses of these words, see Hunter (disambiguation) and Huntress (disambiguation)....

War: :For other uses of War, see War (disambiguation)....

Spear related Images and Photos (experimental)

300 Spartan Spear	Knapped Axe or Spear Head	300 Spartan War Spear	Brothers of the Spear Archives Vol 1 Hardcover Graphic Novel
Parsifal's Story: Parsifal on His Steed with His Spear Held Aloft	A Small Point a Small Peak Curve (Hook?) and a Spear	Two Flying Cherubs Holding the Crown of Thorns and the Spear of Longinus	Wotan waits in Valhalla for the end with his broken spear 1906