Are there instances of individual people (or small families) with stockpiles of weaponry in civilizations that collapsed? Yes, as you point out, there are histo

Are there instances of individual people (or small families) with stockpiles of weaponry in civilizations that collapsed? Yes, as you point out, there are historical nobles with armed guards in their castle/fort/estate, or just cities with militias, but I don't know of anything historically comparable to a modern prepper with a dozen guns and thousands of rounds for them. And even if there were, no amount of swords makes 1-5 people a match for a couple dozen assailants, but 1-5 people with loaded guns are much more of a deterrent. And I agree that a community spending their time and resources working together is likely way more effective, but that doesn't mean the prepper's stockpile is easy pickings.