Ancient Weapons in Britain

Few accounts of ancient warfare have looked at how the weapons were made and how they were actually used in combat. Logan Thompson's pioneering survey traces the evolution of weapons in Britain across 3000 years, from the Bronze Age to the Norman conquest, and he investigates the performance of these arms in action. Insights gained from painstaking practical research and technical analysis shed new light on the materials used, the processes of manufacture, the development of the weapons and their effectiveness in battle. He assesses the swords, daggers, axes, javelins, spears, bows, helmets and shields that were used for aggression, defense and display throughout the period. His account features new information about the weapons themselves, their origin and design, and it offers a fascinating new perspective on the practice of early warfare.

A minute examination of the earliest edged weapons that survive from the Bronze and Iron Ages is followed by an analysis of the simple Roman sword and javelin that were wielded so successfully by the highly disciplined and well-trained Roman army. The author considers the array of arms -especially swords, axes, throwing axes and daggers -that were used in Britain after the departure of the Romans. He describes the arms favored by the Vikings, especially the spear and the single- handed double-edged sword that played a key role in their raids and conquests.

Later weapons, produced by the Anglo- Saxon and Norman armorers in the centuries before the Norman conquest, are assessed and placed in the long sequence of weapons' evolution that can be traced back into prehistory. The study culminates in a close analysis of the arms, the tactics and the experience of close combat during the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Logan Thompson's Ancient Weapons in Britain is the culmination of many years of intense research into early arms, armor and warfare. He has carried out extensive studies of weapons for British museums. He has also published widely in academic journals and military magazines -including History Today, Man at Arms (USA), British Army Review, Military fllustrated, Classic Arms & Militaria, Antique Arms and The Surrey Archaeological Collections Journal. He has written two books -Guns in Colour and Daggers and Bayonets: A History.