As Jens has very astutely observed, the true study of the history of weapons is not just in the books written on weapons themselves, but particularly in arts, crafts and all forms of material culture of the cultures who used them.
This is the absolute beauty of the study of historical weapons, in that they are often icons reflecting important elements and changes in the cultures overall, as well as beliefs and traditions in the decorative motifs.
Thank you Alex for posting this excellent topic, and moving to permanent status is indeed a great idea.
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