The Archaeology of Weapons: Arms and Armour from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry (Dover Military History, Weapons, Armor)

This book is utterly packed so full of information that you will need to read it several times to glean all of the information that it has to offer. Oakeshott brilliantly combines that art of painting in broad strokes with the finesse of delving into critical details. In one chapter you'll get the history of the world in a few pages; in the next chapter you'll read about the dimensions and differences in sword hilts from various regions in Europe. If you want a detailed overview of the history of arms and armor up through the Medieval period, then this is the one book that you should get.

This book goes beyond the history and developement of the sword and related weapons. It deals with early European history as it relates to weaponry and fighting techniques and back the claims with archeological findings. Oakeshott also discusses the old sagas and other historical lore, supported by archeology, to illustrate the culture of the sword and the peoples who used these weapons. I find it hard to just finish the chapter that I am on and get about with the day's work. A truely compelling read for those interested in anchient weaponry.

An excellent book by Ewart Oakshott, I purchased this book as an adjunct to the medieval swords by Oakshott. It is highly recommended with others making a set that covers the end of the Roman Empire in the west through to the beginnings of the rennaisance. This volume covers the classic medieval sword recommended reading if your interested in swords and the history of their evolution and design

Great book glad I found it

A must-have for anyone interested in the fascinating history of swords. He does an excellent job teaching how swords evolved through the passage of time.

The book is naturally interesting, and provides much information on the weapons. Mostly swords though, and in that this book succeeds to enrapture its reader into perhaps what all of us love about the idea of the sword - be it a Bronze Age slender type, Viking Age stout form, or a Late Mediaeval transitional types that were soon to become rapiers.Although there is plenty archeological data, much of what is known (and Mr. Oakshott nods to that) about the history of the sword has to be deduced via imagination. To that regard, one can try to put oneself into the mind of an archaic warrior and see what can come out of it. The sword was a highly revered weapon, for gods know what reasons, but as Egerton Castle notes and i paraphrase "when you are alone, the sword is your companion, and warms you with his presence and you don't feel alone anymore." Much more than a weapon, a sword was/is a dear friend, perhaps much more trustworthy and longlasting than a human friend, and for awesome reasons...

Well written with a great deal of information and enough humor to keep you reading it for more then just information. I would highly recommend this for anyone interested in the history of arms. The armor side is light, but the primary emphasis is on weaponry.

Almost too much information. Wonderful detail on sword battles and the weapons and armour. Glad I bought it.(hate being forced to add more data than I want to so..Marketing people byte)