Zusammenfassung
Zusammenfassung von Das Buch des Schwertes
Für wen es gedacht ist
Readers who love arms and armour, ancient history, archaeology and the odd corners of Victorian scholarship will enjoy it, and so will fencers and collectors curious about where their blades come from.
Worum es in diesem Buch geht
How did a charred stick become the sword that carved out history? Richard Francis Burton, soldier, traveller and certified fencing master, set out to answer that question in The Book of the Sword. This first part follows the blade from animal teeth and thrown stones through copper, bronze and iron to the legions of Rome. He drew on museums across Europe, a journey to India and the scholars of his day, and his strong opinions run through every page. Begin with the idea that the weapon, not the claw, makes us human.
In dieser Zusammenfassung
- 1Weapons begin with the animal worldFree
- 2The first weapon is a stone
- 3Wood gives the first true swords
- 4Copper opens the age of metal
- 5Mixing tin with copper makes real swords
- 6Iron and steel are older than we think
- 7A sword is shaped by the job it must do
- 8Egypt and its neighbours shape the blade
- 9Greece, Rome and the tribes of the north
Punkt 1 von 9
Weapons begin with the animal world
Burton begins with a simple claim. He adds that early life was a constant struggle, so making arms came before almost every other craft.
His evidence is a tour of the animal world. Monkeys pelt travellers with branches, and at Baroda he watched an elephant hurl a heavy billet at his party. The narwhal carries a tusk like a blade, the saw-fish owns a toothed snout that fighters in New Guinea turn into a sword, and the wild boar rips upward the way some ancient sabres cut. Even the double dagger of India was first made from two antelope horns.
The lesson is that people copied what they met. Tool and weapon were one object at the start, so the history of arms is also the history of invention. Burton calls war the natural condition of early humanity.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
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Questions about Das Buch des Schwertes
What is The Book of the Sword about?
It is the first part of Burton's history of the sword. It follows the weapon from natural models and wooden clubs through copper, bronze and iron, then visits Egypt, the Near East, Greece, Rome and the northern tribes.
Is The Book of the Sword a complete history?
No. Burton planned three parts. This volume covers the birth and early growth of the weapon up to the early Roman Empire, and it promises later parts on the medieval sword and the modern blade.
When was The Book of the Sword written and by whom?
Richard F. Burton finished it in Trieste in 1883, and it was published in London in 1884 with hundreds of illustrations. He drew on museum visits, a trip to India and many scholarly sources.
Are Burton's theories about Egypt accepted today?
Many are not. He argues that Egypt was the source of the sword, its name and much else.
Who will enjoy reading it?
Anyone curious about weapons, archaeology, early metalwork or Victorian scholarship will find plenty to enjoy. The many drawings and examples keep the subject concrete.