Sword Technology varied greatly based on the time period and the area of the world. Early swords were crude and simple, as was early combat. Different cultures viewed and used swords differently, and, because of this, they were different in shape, size, material etc. For example, a sword from Celtic Britain would be completely different from one from Japan, regardless of the time period. As time went on, new technologies arose, and new methods of making swords were created, allowing for the expansion of types of swords, as well as their quality.
            The first swords, which were believed to have come from Crete or Celtic Britain, were rather primitive. While most people view swords as being made of metal, the first ones were actually made of wood. Most likely, the first common sword was the short sword. They were easy and simple to wield, yet they were effective, for some time at least. They were also simple to make, but in turn less durable than later swords. Later swords became made of copper, then bronze, iron, and finally steel. Today, swords are made out of steel and steel alloys.
            Different Cultures produced different swords, and it wasn’t by chance. Each sword has a purpose that differs from culture to culture. The swords of Europe were mostly straight bladed, without any hints of a curve, and were mainly for hacking and slashing. Some swords were used for thrusting and piercing and some were used for both. While some swords were extremely heavy and relied on their own weight to do damage, others were lighter and required the wielder to know how to use it if the sword was going to be effective. Swords from the Middle Eastern part of the world were much different from that of Europe, though they had some influence from it. Fewer types of swords originated from the Middle East than in Europe, and they were almost all curved, and were all very similar. While in Europe swords were generally longer and straight because they were used by soldiers on foot, Middle Eastern swords were curved because they were used mainly while the wielder was on horseback. It’s much easier to slash while on horseback than to thrust, and if the swords were straight they wouldn’t have been of much use to Middle Easterners. Japanese swords are different than both Middle Eastern Swords and European Swords. In Japan during the middle ages, a sword was not only a weapon of war, but a symbol of religion, so they were valued in a deeper sense than simply money. Japanese swords were slightly curved, but not as much as those from the Middle East. The blades were very fine and thin, and a good sword could cut a man clean in two with a single stroke. Because of all these cultural differences and needs, swords were not only used differently, but made differently.
            In some places in the world during the middle ages, sword smith’s techniques were kept secret on basically a level of holy sanctity. The heat the metal was heated at, the time it was heated for, the metal that was used, the process which the metal was shaped, and the temperature and time the metal was cooled for were all secrets the smith alone knew. There was a story about a man in Japan who tried to feel the water a sword was cooling in to see what the temperature might be, and as a result the smith chopped off the man’s hands so he could never make a sword. That is how serious this information was to some people. Also, there are the legends of Damascene steel, which the secret of the steel was unknown until only recently. For centuries, Damascene steel was the highest quality, and owners of Damascene steel swords were very proud of them. Click here for more information on Damascene steel.