History Of Weapons – Weapons for all

The documentary discusses the history of weapons, which have existed for as long as humankind. Weapons have played a significant role in determining the destiny of generations, bringing both suffering and death. However, they have also been intended to keep the peace and pave new ways for technology.

The video explores three weapons that have made war history, mainly because almost anyone can handle them without long hours of training.

These include the Kalashnikov, a tool for soldiers and terrorists, the crossbow, sophisticated engineering for untrained warriors, and the pike, the wonder weapon against medieval knights that is very intimidating.

The pike, a long wooden spear, was used in the Classical era and was known as a sarisa. The Battle of Isis 333 BCE saw Persian King Darius the third confront the Macedonian ruler Alexander in an uneven showdown.

Alexander had heavy cavalry and infantry in Phalanx formation and very long wooden spears, an invention by Philip II of Macedon. The Macedonian troops underwent intensive sarisa training, and their length alone made the wooden spears a terrifying weapon.

Even more so when used in a formation with hundreds of warriors all lined up in battle. Deploying the sarisa paid off for the Macedonians; it enabled them to keep the enemy at an animated distance and press them backward.

The enemy simply could not get close to them to attack, and their range of action drove the enemy off the battlefield. Alexander and the Macedonians prevailed, and Darius lost the battle, leading to the decline of the Persian Empire.

The pike fell by the wayside after the Romans defeated the Macedonians, only to be rediscovered in the Middle Ages and conquer the battlefields again. Weapons expert Mike Loades notes that the pike is one of the simplest weapons ever devised, consisting of no more than a long pole with a sharp head.

However, when used in a mass formation, the pike becomes a deadly weapon. Its simplicity makes it easy to manufacture, and armies could produce it easily. In an experiment, Loades shows how easy it is to manufacture a pike from a sapling in the woods.

During the Scottish independence wars, the Scots were fighting a seemingly hopeless battle against heavily armed occupying forces. William Wallace, their leader, introduces a new combat formation during the war, with up to two thousand warriors forming a shield with their pikes ready to defend themselves from all sides.

Attackers hardly stand a chance of breaking through this shield. Despite being craftsmen, peasants, and small landowners without military skills, Wallace quickly trained his men to use the pike, and it became the weapon of the common man.

Loades conducts an experiment with 15 women and men complete beginners who are trained one day to become pikemen, showing how easy it is to learn to use the pike.

Overall, the video provides a fascinating insight into the history of weapons and the role that simple weapons, such as the pike, have played in shaping the destiny of nations.