What is Sword?
[[Image:Dresden-Zwinger-Armoury-bi-handed-sword.JPG|thumb|right|A sword in a museum in [[Dresden]]]] A '''sword''' is a hand-held [[weapon]] made for cutting. It is often made of [[metal]]. It has a long blade, and a handle called a [[hilt]]. Often there is some form of hand protection, such as a cross-guard or a basket. It can be used either for cutting, slashing or stabbing, depending on the type of sword. Swords were first created from [[bronze]] by [[blacksmith]]s in [[Ancient Egypt]] in 1150 BCE. Soon other cultures adopted them, and they began to spread quite quickly. Before [[gun]]s were invented, swords were much more common as a weapon. After the invention of the gun, swords remained as ''sidearms'', as secondary weapons used in man-to-man fight once the battle lines had contacted after shooting. Since after the [[American Civil War]], swords have not been used as much by armies, except as a ceremonial part of uniforms. Some guns, however, have [[bayonet]]s to perform the same function. Today, Sport [[fencing]], is an [[Olympic games]] [[sport]] which uses very light swords and a strict scoring system. [[Western Martial Arts]] use swords that are much closer to the original blades, such as longswords, rapiers and sabres. The blades used are blunt, but they are much heavier than a sport fencing sword, which means the fencers need much more armour. Likewise, the Japanese sport [[kendo]] is swordplay in armour with two-handed bamboo swords called shinai. ==Types of swords== There are many kinds of swords. One kind of sword is a ''[[sabre]]'' (or ''saber''). A sabre is a curved, light sword, sharpened on one side and at the tip, and was generally used on horseback. A ''broadsword'' is a straight sword that is sharp on both sides and at the tip. A rapier is long and thin, with a basket protecting the hand. Another type of sword is a ''foil'', used in sport [[fencing]], and is long and thin, with a button at the tip to protect the fencers from injury. Larger swords, such as [[Longswords]] or [[claymor