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Spears were probably first used as hunting weapons, either for thrusting or for throwing; the ability to strike the prey from a relatively safe distance no doubt appealing to the hunters. It was likely recognized almost immediately that they were also most useful against predators and other humans. When planted in the ground at an angle, it is a very effective defensive weapon against a charging enemy. Massed men carrying pole weapons with pointed tips (spears, pikes, etc.) were recognized fairly early in the history of organized warfare as effective military units. On defense the men holding the spears were hard to reach; on the attack, as in the Macedonian Phalanx , they were devastating to those units which could not get out of the way. With the advent of armored fighters, especially cavalry, pole weapons frequently combined the spearpoint (for thrusting) with an axe- or hammer-head (for a swinging strike which could pierce or break armor), sometimes called a Partisan . Pole weapons include the Spear , the Voulge , the Glaive , the Guisarme , the Bardiche , the Lance , the Halberd , the Pike , the Ahlspiess , the Naginata , the Scythe , the Poleaxe , the Bill , the long War Hammer and many, many more. Pole weapons have largely been superseded by Firearm s. However, the Bayonet attachment for a modern Assault Rifle can still be regarded as a form of pole weapon. |
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