Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Billman · 4th November 2010, 01:56 PM

The working tool of Europe, used in all countries from Scanadinavia to North Africa, and from Britain to Russia was the billhook. First developed in Mesopotania (now Iran/Iraq) it spread eastwards into Indo China and west into the Ancient Greek Empire and thus throughout the Mediterranean regions. With the Romans it spread further into mainland Europe, although in England it was being used prior to the Roman invasions c 50AD... Originally cast in bronze, by the late Iron Age the types now seen being used for coppice work and hedge laying were already in common usage.

Machete like blades were used in Roman times, but I guess that it these developed later, especially after the Spanish colonisation of the Americas - and were probably a specialised version of the infantry sword.... In Northern Europe the Fascine Knife, with a straight blade, became the infantry general purpose tool, but in France Italy and England the curved billhook was widely used by the armies..

Billhooks are not all concave: straight edged blades and even convex blades exist in some regions and some have a back blade as well. Fitted to a long handle it becomes the slasher or England and the croissant of France, and develops into the bills & halberds of the medieval foot soldier... Hudreds of regional patterns exist in England and France, and one French maker, Talabot, boasted they held patterns for over 3000 types (ref their catalogue c 1935).

Post the Industrial Revolution, England led the world in steel making and tool making, and by the mid 19th century exported more tools to the colonies than the rest of the world combined....

If you want to look at the history of the machete, you need to go back further, and look at the history of the billhook...

4th November 2010, 01:56 PM	#15
Billman Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 129	Machete or billhook??? The working tool of Europe, used in all countries from Scanadinavia to North Africa, and from Britain to Russia was the billhook. First developed in Mesopotania (now Iran/Iraq) it spread eastwards into Indo China and west into the Ancient Greek Empire and thus throughout the Mediterranean regions. With the Romans it spread further into mainland Europe, although in England it was being used prior to the Roman invasions c 50AD... Originally cast in bronze, by the late Iron Age the types now seen being used for coppice work and hedge laying were already in common usage. Machete like blades were used in Roman times, but I guess that it these developed later, especially after the Spanish colonisation of the Americas - and were probably a specialised version of the infantry sword.... In Northern Europe the Fascine Knife, with a straight blade, became the infantry general purpose tool, but in France Italy and England the curved billhook was widely used by the armies.. Billhooks are not all concave: straight edged blades and even convex blades exist in some regions and some have a back blade as well. Fitted to a long handle it becomes the slasher or England and the croissant of France, and develops into the bills & halberds of the medieval foot soldier... Hudreds of regional patterns exist in England and France, and one French maker, Talabot, boasted they held patterns for over 3000 types (ref their catalogue c 1935). Post the Industrial Revolution, England led the world in steel making and tool making, and by the mid 19th century exported more tools to the colonies than the rest of the world combined.... If you want to look at the history of the machete, you need to go back further, and look at the history of the billhook...