Types of swords
Further information: Classification of swords and List of premodern combat weapons § Swords
This is a list of types of swords.
The term sword used here is a narrow definition. This is not a general list of bladed weapons and does not include the machete or similar "sword-like" weapons.
Early history
- Bronze Age sword
- Khopesh (Egyptian)
- Iron Age sword
- Harpe (Greek mythology)
Western swords
Late Antiquity
Middle Ages
Main article: Oakeshott typology
- Viking sword (early medieval spatha)
- Paramerion (Eastern Roman Byzantine sword)
- Khmali sword (Early medieval Georgian sword)
- Arming sword (high medieval knightly sword)
- Longsword (late medieval)
- Estoc (thrust-oriented)
- Two-handed claymore (late medieval Scottish)
- Curtana (a medieval term for a ceremonial sword)
- Sabina (a small sword used in daily life)
Renaissance and early modern
Further information: European dueling sword and Basket-hilted sword
16th to 17th centuries
- Espada ropera/spada da lato (early 16th century)
- Zweihänder (16th-century German)
- Flamberge (properly called Flammard)
- Basket-hilted swords
- Broadsword (16th-century English)
- Schiavona (Italian basket-hilted sword)
- Mortuary sword (17th-century cavalry basket-hilted sword)
- Basket-hilted Claymore (17th to 18th-century Scottish)
- Backsword (as a term for a specific weapon type, this refers to the swords of 16th to 17th-century English cavalry)
- Katzbalger (16th-century German short sword)
- Cinquedea/Anelace (Italian short sword)
- Executioner's sword (16th-century swords designed for executions, especially in Germany)
- Rapier (17th century development of the Spanish type)
- Swiss sword (16th and 17th centuries)
- Cutlass (Caribbean)
- Hanger (Longer version of Cutlass)
Modern
18th and 19th centuries
- Smallsword (18th century)
- Bilbo
- Scottish Officer's Dirk
- Spadroon
- Sabre (adopted in 18th century cavalry)
- Pistol sword (19th century novelty item)
- Hunting sword
- Modern fencing (sport equipment)
- U.S. regulation swords (sabres, and in some instances fascine knives shaped like short swords)
African swords
- Shotel (Ethiopian)
- Takoba
- Billao (Somalian)
- Kaskara (Sudanese)
- Ida (Sword) (West African/Ivory Coast)
Near Eastern sword ("scimitar")
Main article: Scimitar
All of the Islamic world during the 16th to 18th century, including the Ottoman Empire, Persia and Mughal India, were influenced by the saif or "scimitar" type of single-edged curved sword. Via the Mameluke sword this also gave rise to the European cavalry sabre. Conversely, the term for the western sword in Arabic was firangi (i.e. "Frankish").
Terms for the "scimitar" curved sword:
- Pulwar (Afghanistan)
- Shamshir (Persia)
- Talwar (North India)
- Kilij (Turkish)
- Mameluke sword (18th to 19th century Egyptian)
- Flyssa (19th century Algeria)
- Kaskara (19th century Sudan)
- Nimcha (18th century Morocco)
- Shotel (Ethiopian scimitar)
- Takoba (Tuareg sword)
Far Eastern swords
- China
- Hook sword (鉤)
- Japan
Main article: Japanese sword
- Nihonto (日本刀)
- Korea
Main article: Korean sword
- Hwandudaedo (환두대도; 环首大刀)
- Saingeom (사인검)
- Jedokgum (제독검)
- Ssangeom (쌍도; 双刀; 쌍검: 双剣)
South and Southeast Asia
While the scimitar also spread to North India in the form of the Talwar, there are is also an autochthonous sword of the straight form in India, known as the Khanda.
Swords and knives found in Southeast Asia are influenced by Indian, Far Eastern (Chinese) as well as Near Eastern (Muslim) and European (Spanish) forms.
- Balisword: an exceptionally large balisong knife. Similar to a balisong, two hilts cover the blade of a balisword
- Bolo: a large cutting tool of Filipino used in their revolutions
- Buntot Pagi: Stingray tails used as a weapon of Filipino origin
- Dahong Palay: a Filipino machete-like sword with capability for thrusting
- Dha: single-edged Burmese sword, perhaps influenced by the Chinese Dao (For Thai : Daab)
- Kalis: double-edged "wavy" Filipino sword, similar to the Kris dagger
- Kampilan: large single-edged Filipino sword
- Klewang: single-edged Indonesian sword similar to the Filipino Kampilan
- Krabi: Thai sabre used in Krabi krabong
- Pinuti: Filipino sword influenced by the West and used also as a farm tool
References
See also
- Classification of swords
- List of daggers
- List of bladed weapons
- Lists of swords
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