10 of the Coolest (or Strangest) Weapons in History

 by Jay Pasricha

As civilisations evolve, so does everything around them. Weapons of war and combat can be seen as excellent representations of the technologies available at the time. In this article, I’m going to introduce you to some of what I would consider to be the coolest weapons from history, and some of the weirdest ones.

Pilum - Ancient Rome

Those were javelins commonly used by the Roman army. At a length of around 2 metres, these weapons could be used at range or in hand-to-hand combat. Some even had small hand-guards for this very purpose. Whilst these javelins may seem relatively unremarkable, they had one very impressive feature. As they were often thrown en masse, one could assume that some would miss and the enemy could pick them up in order to return fire. The pilum were designed with a soft iron tip meaning it woul bend after impact, this would render it useless. Additionally, if the pilum stuck a shield it may embed itself; the bending of the tip would force the enemy to discard their shield as spending time removing the bent javelin would render them vulnerable to attack.

Khopesh - Ancient Egypt

These curved swords are thought to have been used in the 3rd millennium BC in Egypt. The word “khopesh” originates from the Egyptian word for “leg of beef” and takes on a similar shape. The curved design was used mainly to hook the opponent’s arm or leg in order to keep them within melee range. Whilst only the outside edge was sharpened, the inside edge could be used as a blunt object in battle as well. Without explanation, these weapons fell out of use in around 1300 BC but then can be seen mentioned in the 196 BC Rosetta stone where it refers to a “sword” and spells out the letters “kh”, “p”, and “sh”. As Well as combat, these weapons were also ceremonial. Many have been found in ancient tombs, including 2 found within the tomb of Tutankhamun.

Urumi - Indian Subcontinent

Originating from what is now Kerala in the Indian Subcontinent, the Urumi is thought to have existed as early as 300 BCE in the Sangam period. This weapon is classed as a “whip-sword” as it has multiple flexible blades extending from the hilt. Warriors who used it required high levels of skill as it was equally dangerous to the user as it was the opponent. Some variations, such as the Sri Lankan variant, have the user wield two urumis with up to 32 blades on each. When not in use, the weapon can be coiled and worn like a belt around the waist. One would assume the user would have to rather wary when wearing it in this manner to avoid cutting themselves. In modern day, the weapon has been integrated into the Indian martial art Kalaripayattu. The level of skill required means that it is always taught last.

Claw of Archimedes - Ancient Carthage

As the name subtly suggests, this was a weapon devised by the ancient Greek mathematician, engineer and inventor Archimedes. In theory, this weapon consisted of a crane structure which had a grappling hook on the end. This hook could then be used to lift a warship partially out of the water, thus preventing it from attacking. It’s most notable appearance was in the 2nd Punic War, 214 BC, when the Roman Republic attacked Syracuse with a fleet of 60 quinqueremes. Apparently, the machines were deployed and sunk the majority of the Roman fleet, throwing the attack into the confusion. Historians have attributed heavy roman losses to these machines, as well as other contraptions invented by Archimedes. In 2005, the Discovery Channel series Superweapons of the Ancient World brought together a team of engineers to create and test this machine. They did eventually succeed in tipping over a model of a Roman ship and sinking it, proving that it was a plausible defence mechanism.

Sodegarami - Feudal Japan

This weapon was used by the samurai police to capture suspected criminals uninjured. It consisted of a 2 metre pole with barbed heads facing forwards and backwards and was designed to entangle the clothing of an individual who could then be easily disarmed. The sodegarami (man catcher), tsukubo (push pole), and sasumata (spear fork) comprise the torimono sandugo, the three implements used by the samurai to arrest criminals. Whilst the design of this weapon focuses on arresting people “uninjured”, I struggle to believe it didn’t cause injury. The weapon had spikes all along the pole to prevent the criminal from grabbing it, I suspect some hands were damaged or lost in the arresting process.

Bagh Nakh - Indian Subcontinent

Meaning “tiger claw” in Hindi, this weapon was essentially a knuckle-duster with blades fixed to the top (creating claws on the hands of the user). These are thought to have originated in the early 1600s and to have spread across South Asia, creating many variations. One notable variation was used by Nihang Sikh warriors. This variation not only had blades on the knuckles by had a longer (short sword length) blade protruding from the end. Nihang were often known to hold this in their left hand whilst using a larger weapon in their right, creating a rather deadly combination. Another variation involves poison tipped blades used by Rajput clans for assassinations. One notable use of this variation was the death of General Afzal Khan in 1659, who was killed by his opposition Shivaji during a meeting in which they were supposed to negotiate terms of surrender.

Kpinga - North Central Africa

Also known as a “mabele”, this is a throwing knife used by the Azande tribe of Nubia, Africa. Referred to as a hybrid knife/axe, the weapon actually consists of 3 blades. It had a curved blade which was designed to hook into the enemy, a straight blade used to inflict higher damage, and a shorter straight blade used in close combat. The Zande tribe classed these weapons as “Court Metal”, meaning they were produced under the patronage of the tribal leaders and used only by the most professional warriors. In the modern day, they are still regarded as such and are used as ceremonial status symbols in weddings.

 

Kakute - Feudal Japan

The smallest weapon on the list, this was a ring made of steel with spikes protruding from them. These weapons were commonly used by the ninja, and favoured by the kunoichi (a female practitioner of ninjutsu). As one would assume when considering ninjas, this weapon was all about concealment. It was worn on the middle finger with the spikes turned into the palm so that they could be concealed. Oddly, there are records of this weapon also being used as a tool when climbing walls. I’m uncertain as to how effective this would be, and I’m not too keen on putting my fingers at risk by attempting it.

 

Archimedes’ Heat Ray - Ancient Carthage

Crudely referred to as the “Death Ray”, this was another invention which Archimedes used to defend Syracuse from the Romans during the 2nd Punic War. This weapon consisted of a series of mirrors which formed a parabolic reflector and focused sunlight onto the Roman warships. The sunlight then (allegedly) set the ships on fire. Due to the questionable nature of this invention, it has been tested several times. In 1973, a Greek scientist used 70 mirrors to burn a mockup of a Roman warship and succeeded. Whilst this proved that the weapon was feasible, it didn’t appear to be an especially efficient method of burning warships when fire arrows were commonly used during the same period. Oddly, this concept is technically still used in modern day. Sun ovens are essentially parabolic reflectors which direct heat onto food with the intention of cooking it. I’ll admit it’s not quite the same thing but Archimedes was clearly onto something. 

 Zweihander - Medieval Germany

This incredibly long sword was developed in the Late Middle Ages and became the hallmark weapon of the German Landsknechte during the time of the Italian Wars of 1495-1559. When I say “incredibly long sword”, I’m not joking. These swords could be up to 213 centimeters long and weighed up to 3.2 kilograms. Due to their length, they had the characteristics of a polearm rather than a sword and therefore had increased range and striking power. The most intimidating aspect of this weapon is how it was carried. Rather than being held in a sheath, this weapon was carried across the shoulder like a halberd. This means it would be swung down onto the opponent, inflicting huge amounts of damage. As the name suggests, this weapon could only be used with two hands and their wielders were appropriately known as Doppelsoldner. By the second half of the 16th century, these swords had largely ceased to have a practical application. However, they were still used ceremonially well into the 17th century. Some ceremonial zweihander, called “parade-swords” or “Paradeshwert”, were much larger and could weight roughly 5 kilograms.