The Ruling Greek Xiphos Sword
Posted by SwordsSwords on Oct 6th 2018
Greeks swords have gone through the three important ages including the Archaic age, the Hellenistic age, and the Classic age. Among these popular weapons, Xiphos Sword has truly stood out. The Archaic age started with the Greeks who settled in Corinth, Thebes, and Athens in the 8th century B.C. With the increasing population of every city, the occupants were compelled to battle against each other. The defeated ones were forced to work as slaves for the conquerors. In the archaic era, most Greek swords were constructed from copper and bronze such as the famous Aor and Phasganon. The Aor was made of bronze whereas the Phasganon is a straight two-edged sword used by noblemen and soldiers.
In the Classic age, the sword took another twist. It was the time when Athens and Sparta united to battle the Persians in 500 B.C. The citizens were needed to be drafted into the military. After one year of their consistent service, they were rewarded with a sword and a shield. In the same era, the Greeks started developing their swords out of iron leading to the popular creation of Xiphos.
Lastly, the Hellenistic age is best renowned for Alexander the great. Alexander used to carry a makhaira with his men with polearms and xiphos swords. Undeniably, the Greeks have mastered the art of warfare, they were capable to conduct assaults and catapults along with their strong defense base around the hoplites. There were many mythological swords such as the sword of death used by Thanatos who is known as the God of non-violent death. The sword was used to cut the dying persons’ hair and send to the underworld. Let’s go through some of the popular Greek Xiphos.