LanceThe lance is a pole weapon based on the pattern of the
spear but adapted for mounted combat. The lance is perhaps most
known as one of the foremost weapons used by european knights,
but the use of lances were spread throughout the old world
wherever mounts were available. In Europe, lances for jousting
were much different from the weapons used in war. In jousting
lances, the tips would be blunt and the center of the lance
could be designed to be hollow, in order for it to break on
impact. In war, lances were much more like ordinary spears, long
and balanced for one handed use. A lance is also the name given
by some paleontologists to the light flexible spears thrown by
spear throwers.