Polearm with a long shaft and pointed head used for thrusting or throwing
For other uses, see Spear (disambiguation).
"Spears" redirects here. For other uses, see Spears (disambiguation).
"Spearman" redirects here. For other uses, see Spearman (disambiguation).
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Spear-armed hoplite from Greco-Persian Wars
A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as bone, flint, obsidian, copper, bronze, iron, or steel. The most common design for hunting and/or warfare, since ancient times has incorporated a metal spearhead shaped like a triangle, diamond, or leaf. The heads of fishing spears usually feature multiple sharp points, with or without barbs.
Spears can be divided into two broad categories: those designed for thrusting as a melee weapon (usually referred to as lances or pikes) and those designed for throwing as a ranged weapon (usually referred to as darts or javelins).
The spear has been used throughout human history as a tool for hunting and/or fishing and as a weapon. Along with the club, knife, and axe, it is one of the earliest and most widespread tools ever developed by early humans. As a weapon, it may be wielded with either one or two hands.[1] It was used in virtually every conflict up until the modern era, where even to this day, it lives on in the form of a bayonet fixed onto the muzzle of a long gun.[2]
^The Handbook Of The SAS And Elite Forces. How The Professionals Fight And Win. Edited by Jon E. Lewis. p.502-Tactics And Techniques, Survival. Robinson Publishing Ltd 1997. ISBN 1-85487-675-9
^Weir, William. 50 Weapons That Changed Warfare. The Career Press, 2005, p 12.
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