Spear

A spear is a pole arm consisting of a shaft, and pointed head. The Spear came into being as a tool for hunting, and fishing. However, like many early tools it soon found use as a weapon of war, a role for which it is best known. Spears can be classified as those designed for thrusting in melee combat, and those designed to be thrown. Thowing spears are light, short, and refered to as Javelins.

The Spear as a Tool
As a tool, the spear is used with the objective of either stabing prey from a distance, or impailing them from a far. Spears are used in shallow waters to impail fish from the surface. Spearfishing requires a great level of patiance, calling for one to remain still for several hours. A spear used for fishing that has a string, or rope attached to the blunt end is called a harpoon. Hunting with a spear calls for one to be athletic in nature, Able to impail the quary, then chase the prey, while continuing to lobby spears with the aim of causing the soon to be sustence to bleed out. In areas of grassy plains spear hunting can be augmented by riding horse back, allowing one to better keep up with the prey, and to manage it's movements by herding it into some enclosed space where the creature may be trapped.

The Spear as a Weapon
The Spear as a weapon seems to follow the use of stone, and club; used by both sedetary, and nomadic tribes when disputes grew into open conflict. A spear may be wielded in one, or two hands. used in one hand it becomes more versitile, yet it's thrust is weak. In two hands it's thrusting power is greater, but versitility is hindered. Those soldiers who make chief use of the spear are called Spearmen. The Spear was in every major conflict in history up till the modern era. It is the predicesor of such weapons as the Halberd, and Pike. In modern times it's influence on warfare survive in the form of Rifle mounted Bayonets.