3 ms·
I haven't done much melée combat, but i would have thought that a stabbing spear was preferable to a club in any situation. You can have more range, you don't h
by twic 4y ago
I haven't done much melée combat, but i would have thought that a stabbing spear was preferable to a club in any situation. You can have more range, you don't have to give up your guard to wind up a blow, and opponents are more likely to be discouraged by bleeding than bruises.
Given that we developed flint-tipped spears half a million years ago, would cavemen have used clubs in any but the most desperate situations?
- Retric 4y agoWhich is better really depends on a bunch of factors, but people really did hunt with thrown clubs/boomerangs and similar weapons. The Māori used a lot of club like weapons up until fairly recently: https://www.new-guinea-tribal-arts.com/maori-weapons/ https://www.new-guinea-tribal-arts.com/maori-weapons/ Clubs wouldn’t have damaged pelts, and take less effort to create and maintain. Rather hard to clear underbrush with a stabbing spear.
- icegreentea2 4y agoSpears can be more unwieldy in close/cluttered terrain (ie forests). Assuming weapon and shield combat, clubs might be able to deliver more power through a shield (staggering or fatiguing the defender) than a spear thrust. The reach advantage of spears are also partially eroded once you consider a shield as well. I think it's very telling that nearly all of the examples given of "modern" hunter gathers have them using both spear and clubs. I think the reality is that spears would have likely been preferred, but club/maces retaining some utility. In addition, the very fact that clubs had so many disadvantages would make it's use a bit of a status symbol too.
- inglor_cz 4y agoThis combination of a spear and a club was apparently very useful even against iron-clad French knights. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goedendag https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goedendag