[Greyson Brown]

The Archeology of Weapons by R. Ewart Oakeshott :(1)


Unlike Mr. Oakeshott’s better known works(2), The Archeology of Weapons does not focus specifically on the study of the sword. Instead, as the full title indicates, it covers “arms and armor from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry.” This book begins with the Sumerians, and traces the development of weapons, including, but not limited to, the sword, and other military equipment through the medieval period. The book is divided into four parts, being specifically “Prehistory,” “the Heroic Age,” “the Vikings,” and “the Age of Chivalry.” The source material for these topics is as varied as the times and areas themselves, and ranges from primary sources, such as Viking sagas and Greek artwork, to modern writers such as Petersen, and Wheeler, as well as personal observations. This variety helps Oakeshott to write a well rounded and well informed book.

Within each section and culture, Oakeshott discusses the predominate weapons used and the form that they took, as well as the common forms of armour, and there relation to the development and/or employment of those weapons. This information is supplemented with 39 black and white plates, as well as 179 line drawings by the author, and a map of “the Great Migrations.” The focus of the book can easily be determined by examining the plates which contain pictures of swords, shields, armour, and some miscellaneous items such as belt buckles and spurs, but no spears, axes, percussive weapons or the like. Similarly, most of the swords shown belong somewhere between the Viking age and the late Medieval period. Not surprisingly the bulk of the text deals with these same weapons and times.

As part of his discussion of the Age of Chivalry, Oakeshott puts forth an abridged version of his well-known typology. This version of his typology does not contain any sub-types, and can, for this reason, become a bit confusing. In addition, some of the dates used within this section do not coincide with the dates used for the same type in The Sword in the Age of Chivalry. This could be evidence of a refinement in Oakeshott’s typology from The Archeology of Weapons to The Sword in the Age of Chivalry. Also within this section, Oakeshott covers his 21 types of pommels, as well as the appropriate sub-types, and his nine styles of cross guards. All three of these topics are divided into two sections based on the period in which the various types and styles were in common use. This division aids in the understanding of chronological development of the sword, but can make the book difficult to use as an effective reference. As the sections are separated into sword, cross, and pommel varieties from 1100-1350, and from 1350-1500, switching between sections will not affect, for instance, those interested in researching weapons and armour during the crusades.

There are a few instances in which Oakeshott contradicts himself with in this book, but they do not really detract from the usefulness of the book. A couple examples of this are his classification of the same sword as both a type XIV, and a type XVI.(3) Elsewhere, he makes the comment that, “a spear is a spear whether it is of the Bronze Age or the nineteenth century; there is little room for variation.”(4) This statement contradicts the later assertion that, “there was considerable variety in the forms of [Migration] spear-heads.”(5) Given this variety, it would also have been nice if the author had included some drawings of them, or at least one of the Atgeir, but he does not.

Despite these minor complaints, the information is largely sound, and Oakeshott’s self-acknowledged, “intimate style,”(6) makes this a very easy to read book. This book does not focus on one particular time, or group, and is not the best reference on armour,(7) or non-sword weapons, but, for the individual fascinated by swords, with an interest in other historical weapons, as well as armour, this book is nearly ideal. As Oakeshott states, "there are few footnotes (but many illustrations); there are spelling mistakes in the Bibliography, printer’s errors in the text; but it has been read and enjoyed by two generations, and now it sets out again to interest and enthuse a third."(8)


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(1)Oakeshott, R. Ewart. The Archeology of Weapons: Arms and Armor from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry (New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1994). ISBN 1-56619-596-9 (Originally Copyright 1960 by R. Ewart Oakehsott)
(2)Here I am referring to The Sword in the Age of Chivalry, and Records of the Medieval Sword, though Oakeshott wrote and co-wrote other books that do not fit this generalization.
(3)Archeology of Weapons, 210 & 309 (respectively). The sword in question is from Copenhagen, and is shown in Plate 16a, where the caption labels it as a type XVI.
(4)Ibid., 60.
(5)Ibid., 119.
(6)Ibid., 6.
(7)For that, I recommend David Edge & John Miles Paddock. Arms and Armor of the Medieval Knight.
(8)Archeology of Weapons, 6.