Are Real Swords Still Used Today?
This sword is a weapon with a sharp edge, designed to cut another person. Most real swords are about 6'6 long, but in medieval times some types were longer and had smaller blades. Today's swords can be as big as 8 feet long! The use of swords declined for a while. Now they're mostly used for Olympic sports like fencing and combat sports like jousting. Today's swords can trace their origins to the Indian chakram, which was a curved stone, often decorated with metal. A sword with a small blade was also used by Semitic tribes from the Middle East. Ancient Assyrians used two blades held together by a cross-piece. The Greeks and Romans also used swords, but not in such large numbers until late in their history. In Europe after 1000 AD, people began using swords more often for protection during raids and battles. Medieval knights found real swords easier to fight with than wooden ones or spears because they were flexible and therefore easier to wield. People began to see...