Timeline of the Polearms

[Guest]

I'll use this post to introduce myself, and to ask a little help. I'm from Verona, Italy, where I'm part of a medieval reenactment/fencing group, "Lame Scaligere". I'm quite fond of medieval combat, wars and tactics, and read a lot. I did a little spear, staff, sword and sabre combat in my kung-fu training, and I just recently started medieval fencing.

The little help consist on some information on polearms, since I'm trying to compile something like a timeline of the evolution and invention of polearms, since is not simple to find what polearms were in use in a certain century.
Someone can help?

vale

Giovanni

[JeanryChandler]

This is kind of a questionable source, since it was written by Gary Gygax of Dungeons and Dragons fame, but I think it's actually one of the best overviews on polearms that I've ever read. It also has a pretty good bibliography

http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dungeon/9939/arms.htm

[Casper Bradak]

I haven't read it, only looked at the pics, I could be wrong but I think he overstates the length of the majority of those weapons by a couple of feet.

[Craig Peters]

since it was written by Gary Gygax of Dungeons and Dragons fame

Just so people don't instantly read "Gary Gygax" and ignore it, <img src="/forum/images/icons/wink.gif" alt="" /> I'd like to point out that the information there was drawn from a number of sources. Believe it or not, some research did go into the creation of Dungeons &amp; Dragons...

Sources cited by the webpage:

Ashdown, Charles, Armour and weapons in the Middle Ages (London 1925); British and Foreign Arms and Armour (London 1909)

ffoulkes, Charles, Armour and Weapons (Oxford 1909)

Oman, C.W.C., A History of the Art of War in the Middle Ages (two volumes, London 1924)

Saxtorph, Niels M., Warriors and Weapons of Early Times and Use of Arms and Armor (New York 1934)

Encyclopedia Brittanica, Eleventh Edition (New York 1910-11)

[Casper Bradak]

Actually that's something I've had a yearning to know. Can anyone who's personally seen antique polearms with original shafts comment on the lengths of certain types? Maybe compare what they've seen to that article?

I just read through it. He makes some silly comments and I'm positive he really overstates the length of the majority of them to one degree or another, but still, how many other articles are there out there on western polearms?