ARMS AND ARMOUR (Lat. _arma_, from the Aryan root _ar_, to join or fit; cf. Gr. [Greek: armos], joint; the form _armour_, from Lat. _armatura_, should strictly be _armure_). Under this heading are included weapons of offence (arms) and defensive equipment (armour). The history of the development of arms and armour begins with that of the human race; indeed, combined with domestic implements, the most primitive weapons which have been found constitute the most important, if not the only, tangible evidence on which the history of primitive man is based. It is largely from the materials and characteristics of the weapons and utensils found in caves, tombs and various strata of the earth's crust, coupled with geological considerations, that the ethnological and chronological classifications of prehistoric man have been deduced. For a detailed account of this classification and the evidence see ARCHAEOLOGY; BRONZE AGE; FLINT IMPLEMENTS, &c., and articles on special weapons. Classification. Offensive weapons may be classified roughly, according to their shape (i.e. the kind of blow or wound which they are intended to inflict), and the way in which they are used, as follows:--(1) Arms which are wielded by hand at close quarters. These are subdivided into (a) _cleaving_ weapons, e.g. axes; (b) _crushing_, e.g. clubs, maces and all hammer-like arms; (c) _thrusting_, e.g. pointed swords and daggers; (d) _cutting_, e.g. sabres (such weapons frequently combine both the cut and the thrust, e.g. swords with both edge and point); (e) those weapons represented by the spear, lance, pike, &c., which deal a thrusting blow but are distinguished from (c) by their greater length. (2) Purely missile weapons, e.g. darts, javelins and spears. Frequently these weapons are used also at close quarters as thrusting weapons; the typical example of these is the medium-length spear of not more than about 6 ft. in length. (3) Arms which discharge missiles, e.g. bows, catapults and fire-arms generally. (See ARCHERY and section _Fire-arms_ below.) The weapons in (2) and (3) are designed to avoid hand-to-hand fighting. Weapons are also classified in a variety of other ways. Thus we have _small-arms_, i.e. all weapons in classes (1) and (2) with those in (3) which do not require carriages. _Side-arms_ are those which, when not in use, are worn at the side, e.g. daggers, swords, bayonets. _Armes blanches_ is a term used for offensive weapons of iron and steel which are used at close quarters. Defensive armour consists of body armour, protections for the head and the limbs, and various types of shield. [Illustration: FIG. 1.--Leaf-shaped Flint Dagger.] History.