Sword: Did you mean...?

A bronze sword from the Eastern Zhou dynasty, China, 5th-3rd century BCE. (British Museum, London)

A bronze, double-edged straight sword from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Decorated with turqoise and gold. Warring States Period, c. early 5th century BCE. China. (Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institute)

The gold revetment of a bronze Mycenaean sword. Grave Circle A, Mycenae, 16th century BCE. (National Archaeological Museum, Athens)

A 10th Century CE steel sword, likely made in Scandinavia. The high quality of the pattern-welded steel blade, and beautiful decoration on the hilt, indicates that it was owned by a high status warrior. Steel blade, decorated with copper...

A photograph showing British troops moving inland off Sword Beach after the D-Day Normandy Landings of 6 June 1944. The town is La Brèche d'Hermanville. (Imperial War Museums)

A photograph showing British commandos of the 1st Special Service Brigade attacking Sword Beach on D-Day 6 June 1944. The brigade was led by Lord Lovat (seen in the photo on the right of the column wading in the sea). (Imperial War Museums)

A presentation sword awarded to Colonel Marinus Willett (1740–1830 CE), of the Continental Army. It is one of ten "elegant swords" awarded by the Continental Congress to officers who demonstrated exceptional merit against the British during...

A Celtic sword and its scabbard (now amalgamated) from c. 60 BCE, associated with the La Tene culture. The sword's hilt is decorated with the head of a warrior, geometrically reduced like many other examples of Celtic art. The sword and its...

Ceremonial giant dirk of the Plougrescant-Ommerschans type, Plougrescant, France, 1500–1300 BC.

The handles of a pair of samurai swords (the daisho or 'great and small') with traditional ray skin covers and silk bindings. 19th century CE. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)