Indian Mace

Iliad · 11th September 2015, 08:28 AM

Hi Guys,
I am absolutely thrilled to have sparked such an interesting exchange of views!
Just a thought about the possibility that the spikes may cause the mace to be stuck in the victim and therefore be wrenched out of the hand of the wielder, and therefore the spiked mace being unsuitable as a weapon: what then about a Lance? It seems to my tiny mind that a Lance being thrust through the body of a 200 pound man would be much more likely to be stuck and be wrenched from the hand of the horseman? If so, then a Lance is unsuitable as a weapon and must therefore be a "Parade" item and of no practical use?
If I was confronted with someone wielding a mace like mine, I would not be merely "intimidated", I would be absolutely terrified!! But then, I am not very brave, I am a little whitehaired old man who has spent a lifetime behind a desk!
I am so glad to have posted this thread and I treasure every viewpoint.
Regards,
Brian

estcrh · 11th September 2015, 10:10 AM

trajan, nice collection of maces, I really like the one on the far right with both flages and spikes.

ariel · 11th September 2015, 11:13 AM

Rational weapon design was never a strong point of Indial military tradition.
The entire Elgood's book is one great exposition of the mystical and symbolical side of Indian weapons.
No matter how bizarre and impractical is an example of Indian sword, mace or dagger, it is quite likely to be "real".

Perhaps, only Central African examples can compete:-)

trajan · 11th September 2015, 02:55 PM

a few more ...

trajan · 11th September 2015, 03:00 PM

i agree with arial..the variety is infinite. in both ceremonial and functional examples.

trajan · 11th September 2015, 03:18 PM

from ornate ceremonial demon head to simple sonta type.

Emanuel · 11th September 2015, 04:48 PM

Hello,

From a purely physical perspective, the more spikes, the less penetration, no?

This is akin to walking or laying on a bed of nails. The force imparted by the swing is distributed over multiple points of contact, thereby reducing the force in any one point. Furthermore, the many angles of all the spikes would prevent any one spike penetrating too far as they would catch on the exterior of the wound.

My take is therefore that using such a weapon on unarmoured bodies could certainly cause nasty surface damage and probably blunt trauma as well but it would not be as effective on armour as the round ball, heavy stick, hammer/pike variety.

In regards to ceremonial use, the more decorated the offensive part of the weapon, the less likely it was used in combat. High maintenance and generally less resistant. So heavy koftgari/inlay/carving/engraving on the mace head or the blade, particularly close to the edge indicate less likely combat use. The bull/demon head maces are basically hollow and are relatively thin sheets of metal - will likely deform on impact, dispersing much of the force

Emanuel

11th September 2015, 08:28 AM	#1
Iliad Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 187	Indian Mace Hi Guys, I am absolutely thrilled to have sparked such an interesting exchange of views! Just a thought about the possibility that the spikes may cause the mace to be stuck in the victim and therefore be wrenched out of the hand of the wielder, and therefore the spiked mace being unsuitable as a weapon: what then about a Lance? It seems to my tiny mind that a Lance being thrust through the body of a 200 pound man would be much more likely to be stuck and be wrenched from the hand of the horseman? If so, then a Lance is unsuitable as a weapon and must therefore be a "Parade" item and of no practical use? If I was confronted with someone wielding a mace like mine, I would not be merely "intimidated", I would be absolutely terrified!! But then, I am not very brave, I am a little whitehaired old man who has spent a lifetime behind a desk! I am so glad to have posted this thread and I treasure every viewpoint. Regards, Brian

11th September 2015, 10:10 AM	#2
estcrh Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: USA Posts: 1,492	trajan, nice collection of maces, I really like the one on the far right with both flages and spikes. Attached Images

11th September 2015, 02:55 PM	#4
trajan Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 68	a few more ... Attached Images

11th September 2015, 03:18 PM	#6
trajan Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 68	from ornate ceremonial demon head to simple sonta type. Attached Images

11th September 2015, 11:13 AM	#3
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Rational weapon design was never a strong point of Indial military tradition. The entire Elgood's book is one great exposition of the mystical and symbolical side of Indian weapons. No matter how bizarre and impractical is an example of Indian sword, mace or dagger, it is quite likely to be "real". Perhaps, only Central African examples can compete:-)

11th September 2015, 03:00 PM	#5
trajan Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 68	i agree with arial..the variety is infinite. in both ceremonial and functional examples.

11th September 2015, 04:48 PM	#7
Emanuel Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,242	Hello, From a purely physical perspective, the more spikes, the less penetration, no? This is akin to walking or laying on a bed of nails. The force imparted by the swing is distributed over multiple points of contact, thereby reducing the force in any one point. Furthermore, the many angles of all the spikes would prevent any one spike penetrating too far as they would catch on the exterior of the wound. My take is therefore that using such a weapon on unarmoured bodies could certainly cause nasty surface damage and probably blunt trauma as well but it would not be as effective on armour as the round ball, heavy stick, hammer/pike variety. In regards to ceremonial use, the more decorated the offensive part of the weapon, the less likely it was used in combat. High maintenance and generally less resistant. So heavy koftgari/inlay/carving/engraving on the mace head or the blade, particularly close to the edge indicate less likely combat use. The bull/demon head maces are basically hollow and are relatively thin sheets of metal - will likely deform on impact, dispersing much of the force Emanuel