The coolest ancient weapon

[DemonArchangel]

The coolest ancient weapon in my opinion was either the Gladius Hispanicus, or the Chinese Ruan Jian (lit: Soft Sword)

[Fragony]

My choise would be the Indonesian Khriss

[rasoforos]

does greek fire qualify as ancient?

[Lazul]

the kukri knife... i think thats the name... really cool weapon

[Rosacrux]

Give me a kopis every day of the week... and two on Sundays http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Seriously, though, why don't you think of something like an oxyvolos gastraphetes? It does count as a weapon and it must be the first crossbow (albeit almost a ballistae) ever used.

[Leet Eriksson]

Spanish Falcata,or Ming Polearm,nothing cuts better http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Cebei]

The first prototypes of the Turkish Yatagan sword. First used by the Turcomans against the People's Crusade. it was so thin and sharp that it could pierce armor. ARMOR PIERCING SWORD http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/eek.gif

[Togakure]

Love.

[Leet Eriksson]

Quote[/b] (Rosacrux @ Nov. 14 2003,03:02)]Give me a kopis every day of the week... and two on Sundays http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Seriously, though, why don't you think of something like an oxyvolos gastraphetes? It does count as a weapon and it must be the first crossbow (albeit almost a ballistae) ever used.
was'nt that carried on the chest and strapped around the operatr of the weapon?i think i heard of it somewhere...

[Rosacrux]

Quote[/b] (TogakureOjonin @ Nov. 14 2003,04:35)]Love.
Love isn't ancient, nor a weapon. It's eternal and one of the Universe Fundamentals. When you got love, you don't need no weapons. Provided the next person has love too. Because if not... you better grab a weapon or two http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif


Faisal,

yes, allthough some editions of it (the first, at least, those who were invented by the Syracusean engineers, were rather large, almost as balistae - the latter being an evolution of the oxyvelis (oxyvolos is a typo) gastraphetes.

[Togakure]

Quote[/b] (Rosacrux @ Nov. 13 2003,22:24)]
Quote[/b] (TogakureOjonin @ Nov. 14 2003,04:35)]Love.

"Love isn't ancient ... It's eternal ... ."

"When you got love, you don't need no weapons. Provided the next person has love too. Because if not... you better grab a weapon or two http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif"
ROFL http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif.

The wisdom of the young is so enlightening. Thanks for sharing. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Rajput]

India's got so many cool weapons, its hard to choose...

I would say the Ram Dao though, a weapon that originated in Nepal, used in Nepal and North India.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-10/455193/ramdao.JPG

These things are just scary. Maybe you've seen the Chosen Axeman description for RTW. This would be the Indian version of that http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[ichi]

The katana, called the most effective personal killing device ever by lots of experts, is my candidate.

BTW, there's a reason why we have sayings like

'you only hurt the ones you love'

ichi

[TheSilverKnight]

ALl weapons of the Roman Infantry of the 2nd-1st Century B.C. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Togakure]

What I meant was, Love--in the universal sense--is the best "weapon," (meaning what you use to defend yourself from harm--not an actual weapon in the literal sense).

For those that believe in this world only in a materialistic manner, this will not make much sense. But for those who believe in a spiritual side of things, Love is all you really need. While one may be vulnerable physically to hate and acts of hate and violence, one's spritual self cannot be harmed by such things.

IMO, what can harm an individual spiritually is to answer hate with hate or violence with violence. This is not the act of a mature, Life embracing spiritual "adult." It is the act of an ignorant or immature spiritual "child."

I am still a spiritual "child." But I want to mature, and I am working hard on that.

One of the big differences in Aikido from other martial arts is that a True Aikidoka's intent is to restore harmony by neutralizing discordant acts, preventing harm to the attacked, bystanders, AND the attacker(s). There are no kicks and punches in aikido per se, except for practicing techniques against such assaults. This philosophy is what attracted me to the art, as I feel it is ethically superior to most other forms of martial arts.

I'm sure this will not be a popular opinion, but it is mine, nevertheless. I know it may seem off topic to many, but really it is not. Love is my "weapon" of choice, and has worked very well for me. It is not an easy "weapon" to wield however ... .

For what it's worth, my two sense.

[The Wizard]

The katana... Samurai wore plate armor alone, because that sword cut chain mail like butter Not sure about that though... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Leet Eriksson]

Quote[/b] (Rosacrux @ Nov. 14 2003,06:24)]gastraphetes.
yeah thats the one,pretty huge for a crossbow http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif,i'm currently reading on greek technology and i heard somewhere in the 300's BC a greek scientist invented a steam engine....

The image below is of an ancient greek computer http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wacko.gif pretty amusing:

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/6672/Ancient_Computer.jpg

[Muneyoshi]

Quote[/b] (rasoforos @ Nov. 13 2003,19:39)]does greek fire qualify as ancient?
Yes yes it does

[Rosacrux]

Quote[/b] (TogakureOjonin @ Nov. 14 2003,11:22)]
Quote[/b] (Rosacrux @ Nov. 13 2003,22:24)]
Quote[/b] (TogakureOjonin @ Nov. 14 2003,04:35)]Love.

"Love isn't ancient ... It's eternal ... ."

"When you got love, you don't need no weapons. Provided the next person has love too. Because if not... you better grab a weapon or two http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif"
ROFL http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif.

The wisdom of the young is so enlightening. Thanks for sharing. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif
"Young"? Thank you. Thank you so much. Last time I was called "young" it was by a 80year old bugger.

See, hon, I am young Yes, I might be 35, but I am a child at heart No, not at mind, at heart... you know, heart? soul? honey? Are you listening? What is this thing? A katana? But, hon, love is the weapon of choice for us... uh, oh... ok, I'll be going now...

http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif


P.S.

The follow up post was nice, though.

[Tachikaze]

Chariots and war elephants. They are pretty much exclusive to the ancient period, and are thus rather "exotic". They defined the times.

You've got to admit, there is something cool about Chinese paper armor. Weapon?

[The Sword of Cao Cao]

PAPER ARMOR?

does anyone have any links to that?

I pick the katana and always will.

[Scipio]

I'd say Gladius Hispanicus also great weapon for carving u Carthi's http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Knight_Yellow]

Claymore

doesnt need to be fancy, great big chunk of metal that will chop off limbs with the sharp edge and crush bones with the flat part of the blade.

[The Sword of Cao Cao]

and shatter into widdle biddy pieces after 3 or 4 fights http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-jester.gif

[Knight_Yellow]

Quote[/b] (The Sword of Cao Cao @ Feb. 21 2004,04:37)]and shatter into widdle biddy pieces after 3 or 4 fights http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-jester.gif
Dont know what crappy swords you use but Claymores dont need TLC, just a good hammering back into shape every year or two.

[Lazul]

Claymores are nice, but the coolest weapon ever is the Kukhri knife,(spelling?).

[Somebody Else]

What is technically known as a "Big Stick"

Upgraded models have sharp bits of stone stuck into the end.

[Beirut]

The bone that the ape used at the beggining of 2001: A Space Odessy.

It was the first weapon ever and it turned into a space station after he used it to kill the other ape.

http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smokin.gif That's cool.

[meravelha]

*grins*
what TogakureOjonin said
though arbalests are also quite cool

[squippy]

Quote[/b] (The Sword of Cao Cao @ Feb. 20 2004,21:57)]PAPER ARMOR?
Can't find a link, but I suspect it was used by police forces in Japan as well. Think of it as heavy quilting... paper is still wood, is tough to pentrate and quite dense. We're used to thinking of paper as soft, but you'll note a sackfull of books is very heavy. Some SF settings have imagined people strapping telephone books to themselves as armour.

[VikingHorde]

Give me the katana. It looks cool and is very deadly http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

Could i have a flail?, no that might be ancient enough. No, i think i'll have the gladuis http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif

Either that or a few Barbary Lions on a leash http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-2thumbsup.gif

[Crimson Castle]

The longbow. And the highlander claymore sword.

[Kaiser of Arabia]

The Broadsword.
Medieval Weaponry rocks
Oh, and for a backup,
the torture methods of the Spanish Inquisition.
-Capo

[Red Peasant]

Hottest weapon has to be the 'Flaming Pig'.

Coolest is the halberd. Sorry, that ain't ancient.

Ok, a repeating ballista thingy I read about once, invented by the Greeks. That seemed really cool.

[John86]

The Godendag.
http://www.liebaart.org/figuren/goedendag.jpg

[ah_dut]

Give me my nukes Sorry aint Ancient http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/mecry.gif So I pick controversially, the Wakizashi, I knife You all http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-clown.gif

[ROCKHAMMER]

Give me the Katana any day of the week. It will cut through anything and is a faster weapon to wield than any clumsy / heavy weapon from the West. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-glasses2.gif

[Herodotus]

I'd say the coolest old school weapon Ive seen was a pair of Kung Fu swords (damned if I know what they are called) I think one of the characters from mortal combat used them (his name started with a B). Anyway imagine a regular blade with a small curve at the end, instead of a single tip the end is forked like a snakes tongue. Covering your fist is a crescent shaped blade and jutting out the bottom is a short blade. You've got to be really careful to not stab yourself when you use them. It may not be the most effective weapon but I reckon its the coolest weapon i've ever seen.

This might give you a better idea of what im talking about. The capital 'i' is the handle.

/
l
l
l
I(
l

[Sjakihata]

sounds like it could be

a schimitar, sabre or katana. thats the only curved weapons i can think of.

Does it look like this?

http://martin.go-legion.com/katana.jpg

[ah_dut]

very cool Sjakihata http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif

[The Wizard]

Quote[/b] (ROCKHAMMER @ June 11 2004,19:18)]Give me the Katana any day of the week. It will cut through anything and is a faster weapon to wield than any clumsy / heavy weapon from the West. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-glasses2.gif
Read this (http://www.thehaca.com/essays/knightvs.htm) before saying stuff like that...



~Wiz

[The Wizard]

Quote[/b] (Herodotus @ June 11 2004,20:01)]I'd say the coolest old school weapon Ive seen was a pair of Kung Fu swords (damned if I know what they are called) I think one of the characters from mortal combat used them (his name started with a B). Anyway imagine a regular blade with a small curve at the end, instead of a single tip the end is forked like a snakes tongue. Covering your fist is a crescent shaped blade and jutting out the bottom is a short blade. You've got to be really careful to not stab yourself when you use them. It may not be the most effective weapon but I reckon its the coolest weapon i've ever seen.
Were those the weapons that Shu Lien switches to in the fight in the monastery (if it were Japanese, it would be a dojo) against Jen in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?

These babies:

http://www.britishblindsport.org.uk/images/mart7.jpg



~Wiz

[Xiphias]

For an infantry weapon I'd have to go for the quarterstaff, simple, easy to make and very cool.

For a ranged weapon I'd go for the boomerang or javelin. You really wouldn't want to be hit by them.

Polearms of all types are pretty cool too, if a bit unwieldy.

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

The Lightsaber... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smokin.gif

[Sjakihata]

doesn't really qualify for an ANCIENT weapon

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

Quote[/b] (Sjakihata @ June 12 2004,19:12)]doesn't really qualify for an ANCIENT weapon
Sure it does Remember:

"In a far away galaxy, a long time ago..." http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-wink.gif

http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-clown.gif

[Sjakihata]

well, then I'll choose a typhoon class sub and fire a couple of nukes after you, parry those http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

Quote[/b] (Sjakihata @ June 12 2004,19:30)]well, then I'll choose a typhoon class sub and fire a couple of nukes after you, parry those http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif
My friend (or should I say fiend? http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-inquisitive.gif ) I'll just use the Force

The Force is strong within mysef... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-wink.gif

[Somebody Else]

Quote[/b] (Aymar de Bois Mauri @ June 13 2004,03:34)]My friend (or should I say fiend? http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-inquisitive.gif ) I'll just use the Force

The Force is strong within mysef... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-wink.gif
*Casts force drain*

*Smacks with coolest ever ancient weapon, spiky club*

*Laughs manically at pulped opponent*

[ah_dut]

hey Sjakihata you're cheating, the Typhoon class sub ain't ancient from a long time ago in a place far away. So the death star http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-jester.gif

[ROCKHAMMER]

Wizard, thanks for that link. That was a very insightful article but, the outcome, as stated by the author, comes down to the conditions under which these 2 individuals would meet. This article is also based on the opinion of 1 man and not the work of multiple experts which is what would it require for this article to be conclusive. Very well written piece of work with plenty of historical reference, though. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/ceasaryes.gif

[The Wizard]

Ah, it is good to know that you now know that the European sword-shield combination was as good if not better than the wazikashi-katana combination. I did not know that before I read that.



~Wiz http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/cheers.gif

[Ard-Ri McCullaugh]

I got a few.
The Claigh-morh (William Wallace sword from Braveheart)
Smash cavalry in the legs, the knight falls down because of his armor, then stick him good.
If your sword breaks, then use the tip part to make a dirk, use the rest to make a Claymore (Basket hilted one) and pick up your targe, then your still set.

But also, the Gutentag. Flemish peasants smash French knights into the dirt... can't love anything more than that...

[The Wizard]

Ah yes, the goedendag... I LOVE that name http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif



~Wiz

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

Quote[/b] (ah_dut @ June 14 2004,11:39)]hey Sjakihata you're cheating, the Typhoon class sub ain't ancient from a long time ago in a place far away. So the death star http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-jester.gif
http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-oops.gif That might be difficult to deflect http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-stunned.gif

[Sjakihata]

I'll just take a x-wing w. luke in it http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif

[Somebody Else]

I'd like a wookie, with cheese.

[ah_dut]

Quote[/b] (Aymar de Bois Mauri @ June 16 2004,01:15)]
Quote[/b] (ah_dut @ June 14 2004,11:39)]hey Sjakihata you're cheating, the Typhoon class sub ain't ancient from a long time ago in a place far away. So the death star http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-jester.gif
http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-oops.gif That might be difficult to deflect http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-stunned.gif
that's why i chose it http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-jester.gif

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

Quote[/b] (Sjakihata @ June 15 2004,17:23)]I'll just take a x-wing w. luke in it http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif
Then I'll choose an Imperial Star Destroyer with Darth Vader in it... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-grin2.gif

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

Quote[/b] (ah_dut @ June 16 2004,12:57)]
Quote[/b] (Aymar de Bois Mauri @ June 16 2004,01:15)]
Quote[/b] (ah_dut @ June 14 2004,11:39)]hey Sjakihata you're cheating, the Typhoon class sub ain't ancient from a long time ago in a place far away. So the death star http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-jester.gif
http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-oops.gif That might be difficult to deflect http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-stunned.gif
that's why i chose it http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-jester.gif
Then I'll just need the Millenium Falcon with Han and Luke... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-grin2.gif