Quote:
Originally Posted by drohem
Umm...maces and axes are not an evolutionary trend towards swords.
Swords evolved out of knives due to better metallurgical technology.
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Both are true. Swords certainly show a relationship to knives, but they also are a progression of the idea of focused force. A basic mace delivers force in an extremely broad fashion (spikes confuse this, but they still tend to spread the force around); the axe does the job better, but still has wieldiness issues because its mass is not really balanced. The cutting sword is (at least with simple material technology) the ultimate derivation of concept; it provides the best comprimise of force over area against anything but completely rigid armors, while still staying comparatively wieldy.