This is a list of types of swords. The term sword used here is a narrow definition. This is not a general

List of premodern combat weapons This is a list of historical pre-modern weapons grouped according to their uses, with rough classes set aside for very similar weapons. Some weapons may fit more than one category (e.g. the spear may be used either as a polearm or as a projectil ...

and does not include the

machete Older machete from Latin America Gerber machete/saw combo Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas, Oaxaca">San_Agustín_de_las_Juntas.html" ;"title="Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas">Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San ...

or similar "sword-like" weapons.

African swords

North African swords

Flyssa The flyssa is a traditional edged weapon of Algeria produced and used during the 19th century and earlier. It originates from the Kabyle Iflissen Lebhar tribal confederacy. Characteristics These weapons have blades of various sizes from , and ...

(19th century Algeria) *

Kaskara The ''kaskara'' is a type of traditional sword, which is characteristic of Sudan, Chad, and Eritrea. The blade of the kaskara was usually about a yard long, double edged and with a spatulate tip. While most surviving examples are from the 19th ce ...

(19th century Sudan) *

Khopesh The ''khopesh'' ('; also vocalized khepesh) is an Egyptian sickle-shaped sword that evolved from battle axes. Description A typical ''khopesh'' is 50–60 cm (20–24 inches) in length, though smaller examples also exist. The inside c ...

(Egyptian) * Mameluke sword (18th to 19th century Egyptian) *

Nimcha A Nimcha is a single-handed sword from north Africa, especially used in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. It is classified as a type of scimitar or ''saif''. Becoming popular in north Africa during the 16th century, surviving nimcha are usually from ...

(18th century Morocco and Algeria)

East African swords

Billao A billao ( so, billaawe), also known as a belawa, is a horn-hilted Somali shortsword or long dagger depending on blade length. It served most notably as a close-quarters weapon in the Dervish State, at the turn of the 20th century. Features The ...

(Somali) *

Shotel A shotel (Ge'ez: ) is a curved sword originating in northern Ethiopia. The curve on the blade varies from the Persian shamshir, adopting an almost semicircular shape. The blade is flat and double-edged with a diamond cross-section. The blade is a ...

(Eritrea and Ethiopian)

West African swords

Akrafena An Akrafena (''Ashanti sword'') is an Ashanti sword, originally meant for warfare but also forming part of Ashanti heraldry. The foremost example of an ''akrafena'' is the ''Mponponsuo'' (meaning "responsibility"), which belonged to Opoku Ware ...

(Ghana and Togo) * Ida (Nigeria and Benin) *

Takoba Takoba (also ''takuba'' or ''takouba'') is the sword that is used across the western Sahel and among ethnic groups such as the Tuareg, the Hausa, and the Fulani The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, ...

(Mali and Niger)

Central African swords

Mambele A mambele is a form of hybrid knife/axe in central and southern Africa, originating from a curved throwing dagger used by the Mangbetu. Description The mambele consists of an iron blade with a curved back section and rearward spike. It can b ...

Asian swords

East Asian swords

China

Dao Dao, Dão or DAO may refer to: * Tao (Chinese: "The Way" 道), a philosophical concept * Dao (Chinese sword) (刀), a type of Chinese sword * Dao (Naga sword), a weapon and a tool of Naga people People and language * Yao people, a minority ethni ...

(刀

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally writte ...

dāo) "sabre" **

Baguadao Baguadao (八卦道 "Way of the Eight Trigrams") or Eight Trigram Teaching (八卦教) is a network of Chinese folk religious sects, one of the most extended in northern China. The tradition dates back to the late 17th century Ming dynasty, and w ...

(八卦道) **

Butterfly sword The butterfly sword is a short dao, or single-edged sword, originally from southern China, though it has also seen use in the north. It is thought that butterfly swords date from the early 19th century. Several English language accounts from t ...

(蝴蝶雙刀) ** Changdao (長刀) **

Dadao Dadao, formerly romanized ta-tao, may refer to: * ''dadao'' (, p ''dàdāo'', ), a machete-like variety of the dao (sword) ** "The Sword March "The Sword March" is a Chinese music, Chinese patriotic song first sung in the Republic of Chi ...

(大刀) ** Liuyedao (柳針刀) **

Miao dao The ''miaodao'' (苗刀) is a Chinese two-handed dao or saber of the Republican Era, with a narrow blade, long hilt, and an overall length of or more. The name means "sprout saber", presumably referring to a likeness between the weapon and a n ...

(苗刀) **

Nandao Nandao is a kind of sword that is used mostly in contemporary Chinese wushu exercises and forms. It is the southern variation of the "northern broadsword", or Beidao. Its blade bears some resemblance to the butterfly sword The butterfly s ...

(南刀) ** Piandao (片刀) **

Wodao The ''wodao'' () is a Chinese sword from the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty. It is typically long and slender, but heavy, with a curved back and sharp blade. It bears a strong resemblance to the Tang sword, zhanmadao, Tachi or Odachi in form. Ext ...

(倭刀) ** Yanmaodao (雁翎刀) ** Zhanmadao (斬馬刀) *

Jian The ''jian'' (pronunciation （劍）, English approximation: ) is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China. The first Chinese sources that mention the ''jian'' date to the 7th century BCE, during the Spring and ...

(劍

jiàn) **

Shuangshou jian The shuangshou jian is a Chinese two-handed double-edged straight sword (''jian The ''jian'' (pronunciation （劍）, English approximation: ) is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China. The first Chinese so ...

(雙手劍) *

Hook sword The hook sword, twin hooks, ''fu tao'', ''hu tou gou'' (tiger head hook) or ''shuang gou'' () is a Chinese weapon traditionally associated with northern styles of Chinese martial arts and Wushu weapons routines, but now often practiced by sout ...

(鉤)

Japan

Nihonto A is one of several types of traditionally made swords from Japan. Bronze swords were made as early as the Yayoi period (1000 BC – 300 AD), though most people generally refer to the curved blades made from the Heian period (794 – 1185) to t ...

(日本刀; にほんとう) **

Bokken A ''bokken'' (, , "wood", and ''ken'', "sword") (or a ''bokutō'' ) is a Japanese wooden sword used for training in kenjutsu. It is usually the size and shape of a ''katana'', but is sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the ''wakizashi'' ...

(木剣) ** Chokutō (直刀) **

Hachiwara The , also known as ''hachiwari'', was a type of knife-shaped weapon, resembling a ''jitte'' in many respects. This weapon was carried as a side-arm by the '' samurai'' class of feudal Japan. Types ''Kabutowari'' were usually around 35cm long; s ...

（鉢割） **

Iaitō The is a modern metal practice sword, without a cutting edge, used primarily for practicing iaido, a form of Japanese swordsmanship. Other Japanese swords A real (sharp) katana is called a . In contrast to shinken, iaitō have no cutting edge ...

(居合刀) ** Jintachi (陣太刀) **

Katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the '' tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge f ...

(刀; かたな) ** Kenukigata tachi (毛抜型太刀) **

Kodachi A , literally translating into "small or short ''tachi'' (sword)", is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (''nihontō'') used by the samurai class of feudal Japan. Kodachi are from the early Kamakura period (1185–1333) and are in the ...

(小太刀) **

Nagamaki The is a type of traditionally made Japanese sword (''nihontō'') with an extra long handle, used by the samurai class of feudal Japan.Friday 2004, p. 88. History It is possible that nagamaki were first produced during the Heian period (794 to ...

(長巻) ** Ninjato (忍者刀) **

Ōdachi The (large/great sword) or ''nodachi'' (野太刀, field sword) is a type of traditionally made Japanese sword (日本刀, nihontō) used by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The Chinese equivalent of this type of sword in terms of weight ...

/Nodachi (大太刀/野太刀) ** Sasuga (刺刀) **

Shinai A is a Japanese sword typically made of bamboo used for practice and competition in ''kendo''. ''Shinai'' are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from ''kendo shinai'', and represented with different characters. T ...

(竹刀) **

Shinken is a Japanese sword that has a forged and sharpened blade. The term ''shinken'' is often used in contrast with ''bokken'' (wooden sword), '' shinai'' (bamboo sword), and iaitō (unsharpened metal sword). Shinken are often used in battōdō, ...

(真剣) **

Shikomizue Japanese sword mountings are the various housings and associated fittings ('' tosogu'') that hold the blade of a Japanese sword when it is being worn or stored. refers to the ornate mountings of a Japanese sword (e.g. ''katana'') used when the ...

(仕込み杖) **

Tachi A is a type of traditionally made Japanese sword (''nihonto'') worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. ''Tachi'' and ''katana'' generally differ in length, degree of curvature, and how they were worn when sheathed, the latter depending on t ...

(太刀; たち) **

Tantō A is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (Commons:Nihonto, ''nihonto'') that were worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The tantō dates to the Heian period, when it was mainly used as a weapon but evolved in design over the year ...

(短刀; たんとう) ** Tsurugi (剣) **

Wakizashi The is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (''nihontō'') worn by the samurai in feudal Japan. History and use The production of swords in Japan is divided into specific time periods:

(脇差; わきざし) * Dōtanuki *

Chanbara , also commonly spelled "''chambara''", meaning "sword fighting" films,Hill (2002). denotes the Japanese film genre called samurai cinema in English and is roughly equivalent to Western and swashbuckler films. ''Chanbara'' is a sub-category of ' ...

Korea

Hwandudaedo ''Hwandudaedo'' ("ring-pommel sword") is the modern Korean term for one of earliest original types of Korean sword, appearing in the Proto–Three Kingdoms of Korea. These swords were at first symbols of a ruler's power, but their availability ...

(환두대도; 环首大刀) * Saingeom (사인검)

Southeast Asian swords

Swords and knives found in Southeast Asia are influenced by Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and European forms.

Indonesia

Alamang Alamang (in Bugis language, sometimes Halamang or Lamang) or Sonri (in Makassarese language) is a sacred sword or cutlass of the Bugis and Makassarese people in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Description A sword with a flattened, heavy and deeply in ...

* Amanremu * Badik * Balato (sword) * Blakas *

Celurit A Celurit or Clurit is generally a sickle (sometimes other variants include billhook) with a pronounced crescent-blade patterns which curves more than half a circle and a long handle, is widely used for agricultural purposes and also in Pencak S ...

Gari (sword) Gari is a sword that originates from Nias, an island off the west coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia. It is a term used for a type of sword found only in North Nias. Description It is a sword with narrow blade, slightly curved at the end. The h ...

Golok A golok is a cutting tool, similar to a machete, that comes in many variations and is found throughout the Malay archipelago. It is used as an agricultural tool as well as a weapon. The word ''golok'' (sometimes misspelled in English as "gollock" ...

* Kabeala *

Karambit The karambit or kerambit (as used in Indonesian), kurambik or karambiak (both from the Minangkabau language) is a small Indonesian curved knife resembling a claw from Minangkabau people of West Sumatra. The karambit is one of the weapons commonl ...

Keris The kris, or ''keris'' in the Indonesian language, is an asymmetrical dagger with distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). Of Javanese origin, the kris is famous for its dist ...

Klewang The klewang or kelewang is a class of bladed weapon between the sword and machete found in Indonesia and Malaysia. History During the Aceh War the Acehnese klewang proved very effective in close quarters combat against the sabre-wielding Dutch ...

Kujang Kujang may refer to: Places * Kujang County, North Pyongan province, North Korea ** Kujang (town) * Kujang, Odisha, India Other uses * Kujang (weapon), a blade weapon native to the Sundanese people of West Java, Indonesia * , a ''Clurit''-class ...

* Langgai Tinggang * Luwuk (sword) *

Mandau The Mandau ( cs, Mandava) is a river in Bohemia (Czech Republic) and Saxony (Germany). It is a left tributary of the Lusatian Neisse, which it joins near Zittau. It originates from multiple springs north of the 580.6m (1902 feet AMSL) Wolf Mou ...

Niabor Niabor (other names also include Beadah, Naibor, Nyabor, Nyabur, Parang Njabur Laki-Laki) is a curved sword from Borneo, a characteristic weapon of the Sea-Dayaks. Description It has a convex edge and concave back broadening towards the tip so ...

Palitai Palitai (or Palite, Parittei, Pattei) is the traditional knife of the Mentawai people, originating from the Mentawai Islands off West Sumatra, Indonesia. Description The Palitai has a straight and double edged blade. The handle is uniquely lon ...

Pandat The Pandat (other names also include Kamping, Parang Pandat, Parang Pandit or Mandau Tangkitn) is the war sword of the Dayak people of northwest Borneo (Sarawak, Malaysia and West Kalimantan, Indonesia) and is never used as a tool. On October 1 ...

Parang Parang is a popular folk music originating from Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago that was brought to Trinidad and Tobago by Venezuelan migrants who were primarily of Amerindian, Spanish, Mestizo, Pardo, and African heritage, something which ...

Rencong The rencong (Acehnese language, Acehnese: ''reuncong'', Dutch spelling: ''rentjong'', British spelling: ''renchong'') is a type of knife originating in Aceh, Indonesia. Originally a fighting weapon, it is most often seen today in the martial art ...

Sewar Sewar (or Sejwa, Sivas, Siwah, Siwai, Siwar, Siwaz) refers to a dagger of Indonesian origin, typically carried in a belt and used mainly in Sumatra, Indonesia. The blade is also referred to as Sewah by the Gayo people, Seiva by the Minangkabau ...

* Si Euli * Sikin Panjang *

Trisula The ''trishula'' () is a trident, a divine symbol, commonly used as one of the principal symbols in Hinduism. In Nepal and Thailand, the term also often refers to a short-handled weapon which may be mounted on a ''daṇḍa'' "staff". Unlike ...

Myanmar

Dha DHA, Dha and dha may refer to: Chemicals * Docosahexaenoic acid, a 22:6 omega-3 fatty acid * Dehydroandrosterone, an endogenous androgenic steroid * Dehydroascorbic acid, an oxidized form of ascorbic acid * Dehydroacetic acid, a pyrone derivati ...

Philippines

* Balasiong *

Balisword A balisword is an exceptionally large balisong. Similar to a normal balisong, two hilts cover the blade of a balisword. These handles fold away from the blade to expose it. The standard length of an open sword is around long. A normal blade me ...

* Bangkung * Banyal * Barong *

Batangas Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( tl, Lalawigan ng Batangas ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Its capital is the city of Batangas, and is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and La ...

* Bolo *

Dahong Palay The Dahong Palay (also spelled Dinahong palay, Dahon palay or Dahompalay), literally "rice leaf" in Tagalog, is a single-edged sword from the Philippines, specifically the Southern Tagalog provinces. The sword's name could either be a reference t ...

* Gayang * Gulok *

Kalis A kalis (Baybayin: or ; Jawi script: كاليس ; Abecedario: ''cáli'', ''cális'') is a type of double-edged Philippine sword, often with a "wavy" section. The kalis has a double-edged blade, which is commonly straight from the tip but wavy n ...

Kampilan The kampilan (Baybayin: ) also known as talong is a type of single-edged sword, traditionally used by various ethnic groups in the Philippine archipelago. It has a distinct profile, with the tapered blade being much broader and thinner at the po ...

Panabas The panabas, also known as nawi, is a large, forward-curved sword or battle axe used by certain ethnic groups in the southern Philippines. It can range in size from 2 to 4 feet and can be held with one or both hands, delivering a deep, meat cleaver ...

* Pinuti *

Pirah ''Pirah'' or ''pira'' is a type of Philippine bolo sword or knife characterized by a heavy blade and a wide tip. It superficially resembles a falchion but is much heavier. It is the traditional weapon favored by the Yakan people of Basilan Island ...

Sundang A bolo ( tl, iták, ilo, bunéng, pag, baráng, ceb, súndang, hil, binangon) is a general term for traditional pre-colonial small to medium-sized single-edged swords or large knives of the Philippines that function as both tools and weapon ...

* Susuwat * Utak

Thailand

* Daab *

Krabi Krabi ( th, กระบี่, ) is the main town in the province of Krabi (''thesaban mueang'') on the west coast of southern Thailand at the mouth of the Krabi River where it empties in Phang Nga Bay. As of 2020, the town had a population of ...

South Asian Swords

Bhutan

* Patag

Bladed Weapons of Indian subcontinent

Kirpan The kirpan is a curved, single-edged dagger or knife carried by Sikhs. Traditionally, it was a full-sized sword but modern Sikhs have reduced the length to that of a dagger or knife due to modern considerations based on societal and legal chang ...

* Tegha (curved sword) * Sirohi sword * Asi *

Firangi ''Firangi'' () is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language historical drama film written and directed by Rajiev Dhingra. It stars Kapil Sharma, who is also the producer, along with Ishita Dutta and Monica Gill. The film was shot primarily in Punjab and ...

Hengdang The Hengdang is a single edged sword with a long handle used by the Ahoms in India. The handle and the scabbard were designed in gold, silver or wood according to the position of the person. It is similar in many ways to the samurai sword or katana. ...

Talwar The talwar (), also spelled ''talwaar'' and ''tulwar'', is a type of curved sword or sabre from the Indian subcontinent. Etymology and classification The word ''talwar'' originated from the Sanskrit word ''taravāri'' ( sa, तरवारि) ...

* Kayamkulam vaal *

Khanda Khanda may refer to: Places * Khanda, Sonipat, a very big and historical village in Sonipat district of Haryana, India * Khanda, Jind, a village in Jind district of Haryana, India * Khanda Kheri, a village in Hansi Tehsil of Hisar district of ...

* Malappuram Kathi *

Moplah Mappila Muslim, often shortened to Mappila, formerly anglicized as Moplah/Mopla and historically known as Jonaka/Chonaka Mappila or Moors Mopulars/Mouros da Terra and Mouros Malabares, in general, is a member of the Muslim community of same ...

Pata Pata or PATA may refer to: Places * Pata, Sulu, a Philippine municipality * Pata, Galanta District, a village in Slovakia * Pata, Central African Republic, a village * Pata village (Samoa), a village in Samoa * Pontrilas Army Training Area, a ...

* Ram-dao *

Urumi Urumi (Malayalam: ''uṟumi''; Sinhalese: ''ethunu kaduwa''; Hindi: ''āra'') is a sword with a flexible, whip-like blade, originating in modern-day Kerala in the Indian subcontinent. It is thought to have existed from as early as the Sangam per ...

Sri Lanka

Kastane Kasthane is a short traditional ceremonial/decorative single-edged Sri Lankan sword. The sword is featured in the Flag of Sri Lanka Design Kastanes often have elaborate hilts, especially shaped and described as a rich mythical style inherited fr ...

West and Central Asian swords

Acinaces The acinaces, also spelled akinakes ( Greek ) or akinaka (unattested Old Persian ''*akīnakah'', Sogdian ''kynʼk'') is a type of dagger or xiphos (short sword) used mainly in the first millennium BCE in the eastern Mediterranean Basin, especia ...

(Scythian short sword) * Chereb (, modern Hebrew ''khérev''): ancient Israelite sword mentioned 413 times in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' #Ancient Europe.

Post-classical period

All of the Islamic world during the 16th to 18th century, including the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

and

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

were influenced by the "

scimitar A scimitar ( or ) is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, ''scimitar'' does not refer to one specific sword type, but an assortment of different ...

" type of single-edged curved sword. Via the Mameluke sword this also gave rise to the European cavalry

sabre A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

. Terms for the "scimitar" curved sword: *

Kilij A kilij (from Turkish ''kılıç'', literally "sword") or a pusat is a type of one-handed, single-edged and moderately curved scimitar used by the Seljuk Empire, Timurid Empire, Mamluk Empire, Ottoman Empire, and other Turkic khanates of Eu ...

(Turkish) *

Pulwar The pulwar or pulouar is a single-handed curved sword originating in Afghanistan. Origin The pulwar originated alongside other scimitar-type weapons such as the Arab saif, the Persian shamshir, the Turkish kilij, and the Indian talwar, all of th ...

(Afghanistan) *

Shamshir A shamshir ( fa, شمشیر) is a type of Persian/Iranian sword with a radical curve. The name is derived from the Persian word ''shamshīr'', which means "sword". The curved "scimitar" sword family includes the shamshir, kilij, talwar, pulw ...

(Persia) *

(Indo-Pakistani) *

Yataghan The yatagan, yataghan or ataghan (from Turkish ''yatağan''), also called varsak, is a type of Ottoman knife or short sabre used from the mid-16th to late 19th centuries. The yatagan was extensively used in Ottoman Turkey and in areas under i ...

(Turkish) *

Khanjar A ''khanjar'' ( ar, خنجر, ku, Xencer, bn, খঞ্জর, khôñjôr tr, Hançer, fa, خنجر, ur, خنجر, sh, Handžar) is a traditional dagger originating from Oman, although it has since spread to the rest of the Middle Eas ...

(Arabian) * Saif (Arabian) *

Scimitar A scimitar ( or ) is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, ''scimitar'' does not refer to one specific sword type, but an assortment of different ...

(Arabian) *

Zulfiqar Zulfiqar ( ar, ذُو ٱلْفَقَار, Ḏū-l-Faqār, ), also spelled ''Zu al-Faqar'', ''Zulfikar'', ''Dhu al-Faqar'', ''Dhulfaqar'' or ''Dhulfiqar'', is the sword of Ali ibn Abi Talib. Middle Eastern weapons are commonly inscribed w ...

(Arabian)

European swords

Ancient Europe

* Bronze Age European swords **

Harpe The ''harpē'' () was a type of sword or sickle; a sword with a sickle protrusion along one edge near the tip of the blade. The harpe is mentioned in Greek and Roman sources, and almost always in mythological contexts. Harpe in mythology T ...

: mentioned almost exclusively in Greek mythology * Iron Age European swords **

Falcata The falcata is a type of sword typical of pre-Roman Iberia. The falcata was used to great effect for warfare in the ancient Iberian peninsula, and is firmly associated with the southern Iberian tribes, among other ancient peoples of Hispania. ...

Kopis The term kopis ( grc, Κόπις) in Ancient Greece could describe a heavy knife with a forward-curving blade, primarily used as a tool for cutting meat, for ritual slaughter and animal sacrifice, or refer to a single edged cutting or "cut and ...

: one-handed single-edged swords (blade 48–60 cm) with forward-curving blade for slashing **

Falx The ''falx'' was a weapon with a curved blade that was sharp on the inside edge used by the Thracians and Dacians. The name was later applied to a siege hook used by the Romans. Etymology ''Falx'' is a Latin word originally meaning 'sickle' b ...

: Dacian and Thracian one-handed or two-handed single-edged curved shortsword for slashing **

Gladius ''Gladius'' () is a Latin word meaning "sword" (of any type), but in its narrow sense it refers to the sword of ancient Roman foot soldiers. Early ancient Roman swords were similar to those of the Greeks, called '' xiphe'' (plural; singular ''xi ...

: Roman one-handed double-edged shortsword for thrusting (primary) and slashing, used by

legionaries The Roman legionary (in Latin ''legionarius'', plural ''legionarii'') was a professional heavy infantryman of the Roman army after the Marian reforms. These soldiers would conquer and defend the territories of ancient Rome during the late Republi ...

(heavy infantry) and gladiators, and late Roman light infantry. 3rd century BCE Roman Republic – late Roman Empire. **

Makhaira The makhaira is a type of Ancient Greek bladed weapon, generally a large knife or sword with a single cutting edge. Terminology The Greek word μάχαιρα (''mákhaira'', plural ''mákhairai''), also transliterated ''machaira'' or ''mac ...

: Greek one-handed, single-edged shortsword or knife for cutting (primary) and thrusting **

Rhomphaia The rhomphaia ( grc, ῥομφαία) was a close-combat bladed weapon used by the Thracians as early as 350-400 BC. Rhomphaias were weapons with a straight or slightly curved single-edged blade attached to a pole, which in most cases was conside ...

: Greek single-edged straight or slightly curved broadsword (blade 60–80 cm) for slashing (primary) and thrusting **

Spatha The spatha was a type of straight and long sword, measuring between 0.5 and 1 m (19.7 and 39.4 in), with a handle length of between 18 and 20 cm (7.1 and 7.9 in), in use in the territory of the Roman Empire during the 1st to 6th centuries A ...

: Celtic/Germanic/Roman one-handed double-edged longsword (blade 50–100 cm) for thrusting and slashing, used by gladiators, cavalry and heavy infantry. 3rd century BCE Gaul/Germania – Migration Period. **

Xiphos The ''xiphos'' ( grc, ξίφος ; plural ''xiphe'', grc, ξίφη ) is a double-edged, one-handed Iron Age straight shortsword used by the ancient Greeks. It was a secondary battlefield weapon for the Greek armies after the dory or javelin. ...

: Greek one-handed, double-edged Iron Age straight shortsword *

Migration Period sword The Migration Period sword was a type of sword popular during the Migration Period and the Merovingian period of European history (c. 4th to 7th centuries AD), particularly among the Germanic peoples. It later gave rise to the Carolingian or V ...

s **

: continuation, evolved into *** Ring-sword (ring-spatha, ring-hilt spatha), Merovingian period ***

Viking sword The Viking Age sword (also Viking sword) or Carolingian sword is the type of sword prevalent in Western and Northern Europe during the Early Middle Ages. The Viking Age or Carolingian-era sword developed in the 8th century from the Merovingian ...

or Carolingian sword ** Krefeld type

Post-classical Europe

Arming sword In the European High Middle Ages, the typical sword (sometimes academically categorized as the knightly sword, arming sword, or in full, knightly arming sword) was a straight, double-edged weapon with a single-handed, cruciform (i.e., cross-shape ...

: high medieval knightly sword *

Curtana Curtana, also known as the Sword of Mercy, is a ceremonial sword used at the coronation of British kings and queens. One of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, its end is blunt and squared to symbolise mercy. Description The sword mea ...

: a medieval term for a ceremonial sword *

Longsword A longsword (also spelled as long sword or long-sword) is a type of European sword characterized as having a cruciform hilt with a grip for primarily two-handed use (around ), a straight double-edged blade of around , and weighing approximate ...

: late medieval *

Backsword A backsword is a type of sword characterised by having a single-edged blade and a hilt with a single-handed grip. It is so called because the triangular cross section gives a flat back edge opposite the cutting edge. Later examples often have a ...

Falchion A falchion (; Old French: ''fauchon''; Latin: ''falx'', "sickle") is a one-handed, single-edged sword of European origin. Falchions are found in different forms from around the 13th century up to and including the 16th century. In some version ...

Estoc The French estoc is a type of sword, also called a tuck in English, in use from the 14th to the 17th century. It is characterized by a cruciform hilt with a grip for two-handed use and a straight, edgeless, but sharply pointed blade of around to ...

: thrust-oriented * Claymore: late medieval Scottish *

Paramerion The paramerion (Medieval Greek: Παραμήριον) was a saber-like curved sword used by the Byzantine military. The one-edged cutting weapon was primarily used by Byzantine cavalry and took inspiration from similar swords of the Middle East. ...

: Eastern Roman Byzantine sword *

Seax ''Seax'' (; also sax, sæx, sex; invariant in plural, latinized ''sachsum'') is an Old English word for "knife". In modern archaeology, the term ''seax'' is used specifically for a type of small sword, knife or dagger typical of the Germanic p ...

: shortsword, knife or dagger of varying sizes typical of the Germanic peoples of the Migration Period and the Early Middle Ages, especially the

Saxons The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

, whose name derives from the weapon. *

or Carolingian sword: early medieval spatha *

Zweihänder The ''Zweihänder'' () (German 'two-hander'), also ''Doppelhänder'' ('double-hander'), ''Beidhänder'' ('both-hander'), ''Bihänder'' or ''Bidenhänder'', is a large two-handed sword primarily in use during the 16th century. ''Zweihänder'' s ...

: 1500-1600 Germany

Modern Europe

Cutlass A cutlass is a short, broad sabre or slashing sword, with a straight or slightly curved blade sharpened on the cutting edge, and a hilt often featuring a solid cupped or basket-shaped guard. It was a common naval weapon during the early Age of S ...

* Early modern fencing **

Rapier A rapier () or is a type of sword with a slender and sharply-pointed two-edged blade that was popular in Western Europe, both for civilian use (dueling and self-defense) and as a military side arm, throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. Impo ...

Sabre A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

* Modern fencing (sport equipment) **

Épée The ( or , ), sometimes spelled epee in English, is the largest and heaviest of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. The modern derives from the 19th-century , a weapon which itself derives from the French small sword. This contains ...

** Foil (fencing) ** Sabre (fencing)

North American swords

* U.S. regulation swords (sabres, and in some instances fascine knives shaped like short swords)

References

{{Swords by region Type Swords swords