The Staff: Humanity's Oldest Weapon
The staff is one of mankind's oldest weapons, dating back at least 200,000 years. Archaeological evidence includes the Schöningen spears found in Germany in 1994, made from spruce and pine, dated to around 200,000 years ago. In the Americas, a 2018 discovery by Michael Water's team in Texas found chert spearpoints dated to 15,000 years ago, predating the Clovis people. Staff weapons were used globally: in China, Shaolin monks used staves in 621 AD at Baigu; in Japan, the bo and jo were adapted from Chinese styles; in medieval Europe, the quarterstaff was considered England's national weapon, praised by George Silver. Staffs evolved into variants like the macahuitl (Aztec), English billhook, and pike. Modern training staves use synthetic materials like polypropylene.
Key facts
- The Schöningen spears, found in Germany in 1994, are the oldest intact weapons at 200,000 years old.
- A 2018 Texas discovery by Michael Water found chert spearpoints dated to 15,000 years ago.
- Shaolin monks used staves in 621 AD at Baigu, China.
- The quarterstaff was considered England's national weapon.
- George Silver praised the quarterstaff in his Paradoxes of Defence.
- The macahuitl was an Aztec staff weapon with obsidian flakes.
- Japanese staff weapons include the bo (2 meters) and jo (1 meter).
- Modern training staves are made from polypropylene.
Entities
Institutions
- The MET
- Wikimedia Commons
- Shaolin
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
Locations
- Schöningen
- Germany
- Texas
- America
- China
- Baigu
- Japan
- Okinawa
- England
- Europe