When were spears used in battle?

The spear-carrying phalanx, or massed formation of closely ranked men, was used by Sumerian armies as early as 3,000 bc. Two thousand years later the Greeks refined the concept, using pikes 6 to 9 feet (2 to 3 m) long.

When did Pike’s stop being used?

A common end date for the use of the pike in infantry formations is 1700, although some armies such as the Prussians had already abandoned the pike decades prior, whereas others such as the Swedish and Russians continued to use it for several decades afterward—the Swedes of King Charles XII in particular were using it …

When was the last time swords were used in war?

There are probably random instances of people armed with swords all the way up into the present day. But the last time swords were used en masse was in the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945).

Were Pikes used in the Civil War?

Pike. Pole-arms were not widely used during the American Civil War, in fact, United States cavalry rarely used lances as did European cavalry. American cavalry was patterned more along the lines of dragoons or mounted riflemen, where the horse was used primarily as transportation to the battlefield.

What happened to the spear in medieval warfare?

Spears began to lose fashion among the infantry during the 14th century, being replaced by pole weapons that combined the thrusting properties of the spear with the cutting properties of the axe, such as the halberd.

Who first used the spear as a tool of war?

The most well-documented reference to the earliest usage of the spear as a tool of war is from the ancient world. The Greek city states, the Roman republic and the Chinese dynasties had solidified the need of the spear as a staple of all armies.

What happened to the spear after the fall of Rome?

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the spear and shield continued to be used by nearly all Western European cultures. Since a medieval spear required only a small amount of steel along the sharpened edges (most of the spear-tip was wrought iron), it was an economical weapon.

Why did the Roman Empire use spears and shields?

In the late period of the Roman Empire, the spear became more often used because of its anti-cavalry capacities as the barbarian invasions were often conducted by people with a developed culture of cavalry in warfare. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the spear and shield continued to be used by nearly all Western European cultures.