Why did ancient spears have points made of two different metals? #history #bronzeage #ironage

Why did ancient spears have points made of two different metals?
Here is the link to a longer video about metals in the iron age

#Shorts #Epimetheus #History

[EpimetheusHistory]

If you enjoyed this short, you will probably like the longer video I made about metals in the iron age. Here is the link:

[angusyang]

If you think about, the spear is the most ubiquitous weapon throughout all of human history. Easier and cheaper produce than a sword while giving longer reach, literally culture on Earth throughout history has used some form of this polearm, whether it be a spear, pike, halberd, billhook, polearm, or bayonet on the end of a gun.

[trueseeing]

The back end spike is also useful for bracing into the ground against a cavalry charge, which also makes sense why they would make this particular point out of the rust resistant bronze.

[ACID_]

I like the theory that all weapons we humans have ever created are just the spear, but in different forms.

Sword = shorter spear
Arrow = small flying spear
Bullet = fast tiny flying spear
Rocket= flying exploding spear
...

[MarMonkey]

And then iron/still got so bloody cheap that these days we use it as a common building material.

[LordKalte]

Oh shit, you make shorts now!? Do more, the info you give in this one is perfect

[q.a.p.]

Also maces work just fine no matter the metal IIRC. I wonder how long they used bronze?

[Zaka_sama]

I heard the butt end of the spear is called the Lizarder

[olxefzu]

this made me think of the mitchell and webb sketch lolz..

[aedes]

In a certain way, we still use copper alloys in battles even today, as one of the many materials that can be used as bullets

[jaketripp]

Why does the shirtless caveman have fake lashes on his chest? 😂😂😂

[Unnatural]

Talking about iron weapons eh, the assyrians would like a word with you.

[MatthewsPersonal]

Pure iron doesn't really exist in the crust purifying iron to be actually strong was the hardest part as mentioned.

[DonKeediks]

Also bronze weighs more than steel so the bottom point can be smaller and still have the right balance

[uvycbno]

Black African spears started out as pointy wood. And developed into pointy wood. Black African spears will always be pointy wood.

[krystalfruehling]

Nope totally wrong. Iron didn't take off right away because of the bronze age collapse. There were smiths who worked iron in the late bronze age near the collapse and there are swords made of extreme high quality steel from the vikings.

[Nick-higx]

This is nonsense. "Pure iron" isn't a thing in the ancient world, and it takes dramatically less work to make low-quality equipment. Low-quality bronze is far worse than low-quality iron. Only the highest quality bronze, the sort produced for the wealthiest members of very well-connected societies still used bronze over iron in the Early Iron Age, could compete with even mid-quality iron by the era of Archaic Greece.
Sword blades and large, leaf-blade spears are an exception, but smaller heads on spears quickly replaced bronze everywhere but China. Specifically because all it takes is hammering it into shape while heating, rather than heating to cast, to make a small spear point. In order to make bronze spear points strong enough to get through gaps in bronze armor, they needed to be made by people with expertise, and shaped into the leaf-blade of the Bronze Age. In order to make a point on the end of a stick that could get through gaps in bronze armor out of iron, you just need...someone who can hammer a decent-quality iron while heated. Iron, even low quality iron, simply has the density to go through thin parts of bronze far better than bronze.
Iron SWORDS, and spears with large heads, and axes, and farming implements, don't replace bronze for a long time after iron comes on the scene. It was used for more specific purposes; they understood it could puncture bronze better than bronze.


MOSTLY iron didn't replace bronze because bronze was giant business. Anywhere that bronze weaponry and armor is used in large amounts, it made up a significant portion of the bronze trade. And everywhere with bronze trade (that they manufactured), bronze was a significant portion of the economy.
Economics kept bronze in primary use for 2 centuries beyond what it would have otherwise. And in China, in areas, more like 5 centuries.