Alexander Hinman wrote: |
I'm not sure what you're saying here. Is it that shield-using peoples are more inclined toward the use of double-edged swords? Or that once a weapon shape becomes predominant in a culture it is often quite hard to change? |
I'm saying that the need of coping with a shield encouraged the use of double edged blades, (but NOT that it prevented the use of other designs. Rather that it might have been a very significant factor which encouraged the use of a particular design, which became predominant among many shield cultures. Consider that the Romans, and the 'barbarians' both tended towards the use of large shields, and used double edge blades 'predominantly.' The Vikings as well, dark age warriors of all sorts.
The Greeks used many sorts, but also had a very large number of double edged blades of one kind or another, and were certainly a shield culture.
As such, the double edged design became the 'standard' sword. Of course, why one wouldn't produce curved doubled edged designs is something that would need more looking into, but perhaps the lack of many swords like this means there is a flaw in such a design which we are not aware of. Or perhaps it is simply that a double edged design is most 'naturally' produced in a symmetrical and therefore straight shape. Or perhaps when hooking a shield in a stab one is better off with the predictable point of a straight blade. So you would want a straight blade with double edges to take full advantage of whatever you might do to the other fellow once your sword was working it's way around his shield in a tight press.
(Of course, the African Hooking sword would be a particular example of a very different way of looking at the problem. )
And I'm saying that because of the above and perhaps a number of other reasons, the double edged blade became predominant. Once that shape became predominant, it wouldn't be inclined to change it unless pressed by significant new circumstances.
As to the cultures you mention, certainly this isn't an hard and fast rule, but rather a tendency which is like unto any other tendency, subject to the sway of local forces. Of course, I do note that most of the cultures I mention were also predominantly infantry cultures for long periods of their development, and that any culture which did not frequently use swords with shields on foot would be excluded from the sampling.
OF course, I might be totally off base, and straight swords were used because they were easier to make.