INTRODUCTION xi LIST OF AUTHORITIES xxiii I. PREAMBLE: ON THE ORIGIN OF WEAPONS 1 II. MAN’S FIRST WEAPONS—THE STONE AND THE STICK. THE EARLIEST AGES OF WEAPONS. THE AGES OF WOOD, OF BONE, AND OF HORN 16 III. THE WEAPONS OF THE AGE OF WOOD: THE BOOMERANG AND THE SWORD OF WOOD; OF STONE, AND OF WOOD AND STONE COMBINED 31 IV. THE PROTO-CHALCITIC OR COPPER AGE OF WEAPONS 53 V. THE SECOND CHALCITIC AGE OF ALLOYS—BRONZE, BRASS, ETC.: THE AXE AND THE SWORD 74 VI. THE PROTO-SIDERIC OR EARLY IRON AGE OF WEAPONS 97 VII. THE SWORD: WHAT IS IT? 123 VIII. THE SWORD IN ANCIENT EGYPT AND IN MODERN AFRICA 143 IX. THE SWORD IN KHITA-LAND, PALESTINE AND CANAAN; PHŒNICIA AND CARTHAGE; JEWRY, CYPRUS, TROY, AND ETRURIA 172 X. THE SWORD IN BABYLONIA, ASSYRIA AND PERSIA, AND ANCIENT INDIA 199 XI. THE SWORD IN ANCIENT GREECE: HOMER; HESIOD AND HERODOTUS: MYCENÆ 220 XII. THE SWORD IN ANCIENT ROME: THE LEGION AND THE GLADIATOR 244 XIII. THE SWORD AMONGST THE BARBARIANS (EARLY ROMAN EMPIRE) 262 CONCLUSION 280 INDEX 281 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. FIG. PAGE 1. INDIAN WÁGH-NAKH 8 2. WÁGH-NAKH, USED BY MARÁTHÁS 8 3. BALISTES CAPRISCUS; COTTUS DICERAUS; NASEUS FRONTICORNIS 9 4. SPEAR OF NARWHAL; SWORD OF XIPHIAS; RHINOCEROS-HORN; WALRUS TUSKS 10 5. NARWHAL’S SWORD PIERCING PLANK 10 6. METAL DAGGERS WITH HORN CURVE 10 7. MÁDU OR MÁRU 11 8. THE ADAGA 12 9. SERRATED OR MULTIBARBED WEAPONS 13 10. WEAPONS MADE OF SHARK’S TEETH 13 11. ITALIAN DAGGER, WITH GROOVES AND HOLES FOR POISON 13 12. SWORD WITH SERRATED BLADE OF SAW-FISH 13 13. ANCIENT EGYPTIANS THROWING KNIVES 18 14. JAPANESE WAR-FLAIL 21 15. TURKISH WAR-FLAIL 21