Polearm

A polearm is a long-handled weapon with a blade, point, or striking head mounted at its end. Its reach and leverage support thrusting, cutting, or bludgeoning.

Spear: A thrusting weapon with a pointed head mounted on a long shaft. The spear is the basic pole weapon, emphasizing reach and direct thrusting.
Lever: A rigid bar that pivots around a fulcrum to transmit or multiply force. A polearm's long shaft acts as a lever for its head and the wielder's hands.
Pike square: An infantry formation that presents a dense perimeter of long pikes against attack. Pikes show how polearms could protect a unit through coordinated mass rather than individual reach.
Sword: A bladed weapon with a relatively short handle, designed chiefly for cutting or thrusting by hand. Swords trade the polearm's reach for greater maneuverability at close quarters.
Bronze Age: A period in which bronze became a major material for tools and weapons across many societies. Early metalworking enabled durable spearheads and other mounted weapon heads.
Halberd: A pole weapon combining an axe blade, a thrusting point, and a rear hook or beak. Its combination of head features shows how one polearm could serve several combat roles.
Reach weapon: A weapon whose length allows attacks from farther away than a hand-held weapon. Polearms use shaft length to threaten opponents before they can strike at close range.
Cavalry: Military forces that fight on horseback. Long polearms were used to threaten mounted troops and their horses at a distance.
Dagger: A short double-edged or single-edged weapon designed for close combat. A dagger is suited to close-range attacks where a polearm's long shaft is cumbersome.
Ancient Greece: The societies of the Greek-speaking Mediterranean world from antiquity onward. Greek hoplites used the dory, a long spear central to their infantry fighting.

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PartisanNarrower topic: The partisan is one member of this broad family of shaft-mounted weapons.