Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was actually prepared to take a negative view of this book, but Oakeshott's relaxed but enthusiastic and well-informed book won me over. This subject is obviously the love of his intellectual life, and he has compiled a wonderful study of the development of swords, often being able to match those in art to surviving bits, and the rest of weaponry by the by. He discusses techniques of use with good sense and practical experiments. Also, he is one of the few authors to mention that the Vikings were adept at riding and fighting, by his choice of quotes, and explaining the term Riddaraskap.

I found that this book serves the purpose I bought it for to its best. However, the author seems to wander off at times, following his line of thought towards other directions from those he's pursuing, fact which can become tiring. Also, if you're looking for illustrations this book is definitely not for you. The content is very interesting and detailed, and he covers many subjects, although he says his main interest is the Medieval Era. I recommend it, but it would be best if read in conjunction with another book with more illustrations and less historical fact.

Ewart Oakeshott is one of those rarest of wonders, a historian who captures the imagination and holds one's attention. Critics have said that as an authority on swords he is not a god. Of course not! Like any decent scholar, he names his sources so that his facts can be taken in context and noted along with other reference works. It is just this accessibility and the down-to-earth quality of his prose that has endeared him to history buffs, weapons enthusiasts and the average reader alike for decades. It has been nearly twenty years since I first picked up "Dark Age Warrior" and his engaging style speaks to us as clearly as ever.

I bought this mainly for what I could learn about fighting axes. What I got was a description of 3 vague axe types without any new (or much old)information about them. Thats not much in 330pp. I was disappointed from the second I opened it and leafed through it. Obviously there were a great many axes used in these times periods yet you wouldn't think so reading this book. The 95% of this is on swords. If you were interested in much of anything else from that time period, forget it. If swords are your thing this is for you.

This fascinating book is the magnum opus of author and sword-expert Ewart Oakeshott (1916-2002). In it, the author traces the evolution of European (and only European) arms from prehistory to the fifteenth century. He shows how weapons changed in shape and composition, sometimes due to changes in technology (for example in the change from bronze to iron) and sometimes due to changes in society (for example in the development of chivalry).

Overall, I found this to be a highly readable, and yet extremely informative book. The author does a great job of explaining the evolution of weapons in a clear and easy-to-understand manner. I enjoyed the many picture and illustrations that are peppered throughout the book, finding them very useful for understanding the text.

Now, as you might expect with a book by a sword-expert, this book focuses primarily on the development of the sword, but as the sword has usually been considered the king of the pre-gunpowder battlefield, this is not a great surprise. So, let me just say that this is a great book for understanding European weapons of any era, and of the evolution of the weapons in general. I think that this is a great book on ancient and medieval weapons, one that I would not hesitate to recommend to all readers.

I have 5 other books by this author; that ought to tell you that I'm a devoted reader of any book or article by the late E. Oakeshott. While not necessarily an 'easy read,' Mr. Oakeshott presents the information in a down-to-earth style. He doesn't ramble, but rather gets to the point. The tone of this book makes it accessible to people with any degree of knowledge of the subject of medieval swords, student or scholar. Many of Oakeshott's ideals are backed by actual period quotes which can be found here.

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.

The Archaeology of Weapons: Arms and Armour from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry - the informative, personable survey of weapons by the late sword-expert, Ewart Oakeshott (1916-2002) - remains after forty years one of the best introductions to the history and forms of the European sword from pre-history to the late Middle Ages. It reveals the reasons for its various developments, which include both metallurgical technology and advances in armor and military technique. I wish that I could have given this book five stars - indeed, for its time it would have earned them easily - however, because some of the information is outdated, including the many passages regarding the contemporary collections in which the swords he mentions were present, the work is dated and certain information has become unnecessary. It is for this reason alone, one which was inevitable with time, that this work does not achieve present-day perfection status. Fortunately, this does not deplete the pleasurable learning experience that Oakeshott's knowledge and style provide.

The sword, truly, is the main focus of this work, partly due to the fact that it played such a central role in ancient societies, but also because its form and function provide invaluable insight into the military habits of its users. In contrast, axes, bows, and spears changed less frequently in form and use, and therefore require less attention throughout the text. Nevertheless, Oakeshott does address these weapons within their appropriate eras and still provides adequate information on them to the reader.

Oakeshott's most lasting contribution to the field of sword research, however, is his typology of medieval and Renaissance sword-types based upon the silhouette and blade morphology of the weapon. While not entirely groundbreaking (it is a continuation of Jan Petersen's typology for Viking swords, which Oakeshott admits), this created an effective systematic organization which is still in use today, if only a bit modified. It fully recognized the sword as a deadly tool and not just an artistic curiosity, as it had so often previously been approached. Each of the thirteen types is explained thoroughly within the book, with examples (a more thorough examination can be found in his Records of the Medieval Sword).

Ewart Oakeshott was an amateur historian whose writing is devoid of the stuffiness and cryptic language of his more academically-trained peers. In fact, he was an accomplished artist, and his precise illustrations are found throughout the text to compliment and explain various concepts and to show visually the individual pieces he discusses. His enthusiasm is infectious and his wit delightful to read. Enough cannot be said about this book for those interested in the development of European weapons - it is invaluable and rightly cherished. His other works, additionally, are highly recommended.

This is a very informative book, written clearly and delightfully free of arcane references. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 is because most of the illustrations are drawings rather than photographs. The drawings are good though. This is a good reference book for dating the styles and innovations of edged weapons up through the end of the 15th century--Particularly for a collector.

This is a simple walktrough the age of blade weapons. Easy understood, good illustrations and serious written. It's not a boring learning book, but it is helpfull. Either you are a reenacter or an archeology student. Buy it!