We have seen The Soviets, Germans, even African weapon. This is from a different civilization. This weapon is called a Macuahitl. It was made by the Aztecs. According to Aztecs military strategy, archers attack incoming enemy first. After they have run out out arrows and darts to shoot, warriors carrying these macuahitl comes out to initiate close quarter battles. Aztec warriors carry along defensive objects such as armors, shields and also head gears. The weapon was carved using oak into a cricket bat shape and sharp obsidian blades placed in the edges of the weapon. The weapon is not effective to kill as the blades are not fatal. It can mostly gash and slice enemy's skin but the wounds would not be too deep. It is also not used for stabbing
Actually, modern experimental historians have showed that this class of weapon, usually called "toothed swords" could slice clean to the bone. Since they were employed against opponents that lacked metal armor, they could be very effective. The flint edges are the sharpest blades known to humanity as the edges come down to an width only one molecule wide. They're used as scaples in some modern surgical applications.
ReplyDeleteTheir major weakness is the brittleness of the flint. Few swords came out of a major fight with a majority of its teeth intact. The constant replacement made them very expensive weapons to maintain. They were usually the weapons of the elite warrior class.
The weapons were not used like swords. The user would try to emplace the weapon across the shoulders, under the arm pits or slide up the leg to the groin. In all three locations, the incredible sharpness would slice though major artiries that would bring almost instant death.
And, if the sword, lost all its teeth, it still made a hell of club.
The lack of lethality of Meso-America weapons, is a myth caused by the cultures being more interested in taking prisoners for sacrifice, than in killing enemies outright on the battlefield. When they really got down to a real fight, they killed quite readily. Cortez lost several hundred armored men to such seemingly primative weapons.