The Archaeology of Weapons: Arms and Armour from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry

In The Archaeology of Weapons, Ewart Oakeshott, an authority on medieval arms in Europe, presents a full, accurate, and readable account of the development and use of arms from the Bronze Age to the Age of Chivalry. His argument is based upon evidence of arms found in excavations, tombs, rivers and the ground, as well as in contemporary art. To this evidence, he adds descriptions from the literature of the times, giving life to the archaeological material and clarifying many of the issues which archaeology alone cannot explain. The text is illustrated with more than 170 drawings and 39 plates, 17 of which have been added for this edition. The book also includes a new preface by the author.
Oakeshott's aim is to show the development of arms in an unbroken sequence, and to present the archaelogical material in its proper place within the framework of history. The Archaeology of Weapons is divided into four sections. The first covers the Bronze and Iron Ages, and the second the great folk migrations and the breakup of the Roman Empire. From this period, crucial to the development of the art of war, comes the most interesting material, the great burial of arms left by the Celtic and Teutonic peoples of northwestern Europe. These finds are discussed in detail alongside the historical background, and the one lends life and meaning to the other.
The third section covers the age of the Vikings, and includes much vivid literary material. The fourth section, dealing with the Age of Chivalry, is the real core of the book; following a general survey of the institution of chivalry itself, an understanding of which is vital to the correct appreciation of all the arms of the High Middle Ages, is a classification of medieval sword types from about A.D. 1050 to A.D. 1500. The human aspect of the sword is treated as an essential part of this lucid study and adds much to its archaeological interest.
From the evidence of his material, from the conclusions of many archaeologists and historians, and from his own detailed research, the author presents this definitive study of the weapons of thirty centuries.