> They'd have spear consisting of a pointy metal tip on a wooden stick, because that's cheap and works great. "Cheap" wasn't always the major factor. Some spea

> They'd have spear consisting of a pointy metal tip on a wooden stick, because that's cheap and works great. "Cheap" wasn't always the major factor. Some spears were cheap, but others were pretty darned expensive. In wars -- where trained people fought in groups and formations -- spears just worked better than swords. The Greek phalanx, the Roman pilum, the lances of the medieval period, early modern pike-and-shot, etc. all showed the effectiveness of a long sharp, pointy stick. Swords have many niches, like closed-quarters combat in cities, terrain (e.g. forest or mountain battles), etc., but the spear almost always dominated for mainstream war.