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Spearmen were common and were used well until the end of the Second World War by many cultures on earth because the spear itself was an economical yet effective weapon. Compared with axes and clubs which were unwieldly and swords which were too costly and thus the weapons of the middle class and upper crust of society, spears were easy to create (using far less resources than a sword) and very easy and versatile to use, as a ranged weapon to keep melee units at a distance, making spears useful in many situations. With a spear, one can either fight defensively (ie "holding a line at Marathon") or use it in an offensive capability. The only drawback however is that spears leave the user exposed once opponents can evade the spearpoint, and also spears could be heavy, leaving warriors vulnerab

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  • Hoplites/History
rdfs:comment
  • Spearmen were common and were used well until the end of the Second World War by many cultures on earth because the spear itself was an economical yet effective weapon. Compared with axes and clubs which were unwieldly and swords which were too costly and thus the weapons of the middle class and upper crust of society, spears were easy to create (using far less resources than a sword) and very easy and versatile to use, as a ranged weapon to keep melee units at a distance, making spears useful in many situations. With a spear, one can either fight defensively (ie "holding a line at Marathon") or use it in an offensive capability. The only drawback however is that spears leave the user exposed once opponents can evade the spearpoint, and also spears could be heavy, leaving warriors vulnerab
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dbkwik:rise-of-nat...iPageUsesTemplate
dbkwik:riseofnatio...iPageUsesTemplate
abstract
  • Spearmen were common and were used well until the end of the Second World War by many cultures on earth because the spear itself was an economical yet effective weapon. Compared with axes and clubs which were unwieldly and swords which were too costly and thus the weapons of the middle class and upper crust of society, spears were easy to create (using far less resources than a sword) and very easy and versatile to use, as a ranged weapon to keep melee units at a distance, making spears useful in many situations. With a spear, one can either fight defensively (ie "holding a line at Marathon") or use it in an offensive capability. The only drawback however is that spears leave the user exposed once opponents can evade the spearpoint, and also spears could be heavy, leaving warriors vulnerable to attack from missile weapons ... or another warrior armed with a small yet deadly melee weapon such as a dagger. Armour and side weapons such as daggers and short swords were used to cover these shortcomings, but they like the spear could encumber as much as they could aid in combat. In some cases, some warriors in some cultures would fight wholly naked even without clothing, armed only with their weapon, a sturdy shield and an occassional helmet. As metallurgical knowhow increased, new derivations of the spear would be seen, including polearms as well as longer and heavier spears called pikes — the weapon of choice for the Greek phalanx.
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