When were swords made?

jmatt13

Bronze Age swords appear from around the 17th century BC, evolving out of the dagger. The 3rd millennium Sumerian "sickle-sword" is an early predecessor of the backsword. Early examples with typical leaf-shaped blades are found in Mesopotamia, around the Mediterranean, particularly in Sardinia, in Crete, and around the Black Sea. Sword production in China is attested from the Bronze Age Shang Dynasty, with steel swords making their appearance from the 3rd century BC Qin Dynasty. The Chinese Dao (µ¶ pinyin d¨¡o) is single-edged, sometimes translated as sabre or broadsword, and the Jian („¦ pinyin ji¨¤n) double edged. In general, the evolution of blade weapons in the Bronze age is from the dagger or knife in the Early Bronze Age to the earliest "rapier" swords optimized for thrusting from the Middle Bronze Age to the typical leaf-shape blades in the Late Bronze Age. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_Age_sword Mar 03 08, 5:37 PM