Tools of War

History of Weapons in Early Modern Times

Warfare of the early modern period is associated with the start of the widespread use of gunpowder and the development of suitable weapons to use the explosive, including artillery and handguns; for this reason the era is also referred to as the age of gunpowder warfare (a concept introduced by Michael Roberts in the 1950s). Shock weapons that extend or enhance the deadly force of the humans at close contact. These would include: clubs, axes, tomahawks, knives, swords, sabres, spears, halberds, and pikes. The most important surviving shock weapon today is the bayonet, although some might say it is a shovel doing double duty. Missile weapons that are hurled or projected over various distances to inflict destruction upon the enemy: slingshots, boomerangs, javelins, bows and arrows, crossbows, ballistas, catapults, and Greek fire. This book has been written keeping in view the requirements of undergraduate and postgraduate students and research scholars in the area of weapons and warfare and Military history.