Assegai
| Assegai | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Information | |
| Weapon type: | spear |
| Designations: | Assegai, Hassegai |
| Use: | weapon |
| Region of origin / author: |
Africa , ethnic groups in southern Africa |
| Distribution: | Africa |
| Overall length: | about 150-200 cm |
| Blade length: | about 18-32 cm |
| Handle: | Wood |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Assegai , also called Hassegai or Assagai , is a spear from Africa.
description
The Assegai has a straight, wooden shaft of different lengths and thicknesses. The blade is usually symmetrical and leaf-shaped. There are also versions where the tip is triangular and barbed. It is attached to the shaft with a grommet . The length of the Assegai varies. There is the long version for throwing, but also a short version with a larger blade that is only intended for striking. In some versions the shaft is thinner at the end, in others it is the same thickness over the entire length. A famous assegai was designed and worn by Shaka , king of the Zulu . The new spear was not intended for throwing, but solely for stabbing. The blade was larger, heavier, and more triangular in shape. Shaka gave the spear the name Iklwa . In addition, Shaka equipped his warriors with heavy, long shields made of cowhide, which revolutionized South African warfare. The metal used by the Zulu at the time was of high quality, high in carbon , rust- resistant, and had good edge retention and hardness. The Assegai was still worn by the Askaris at the end of the Second World War (see picture info box).
Individual evidence
literature
- George Cameron Stone: A glossary of the construction, decoration and use of arms and armor in all countries and in all times . Forword by Donald J. LaRocca. Dover Publications, Mineola, New York 1999, page 77, ISBN 978-0-486-40726-5 (first edition 1934).
- South African Museum, Annals of the South African Museum, Volume 58, Issue 3 , Verlag West, Newman & Co. for the trustees of the Museum, 1981, pp. 313, 314, 318.
- Christopher Spring, African arms and armor , Smithsonian Institution Press, 1993, ISBN 978-1-56098-317-0
- JL Smail, From the land of the Zulu Kings , Verlag AJ Pope, 1979, pp. 23, 25, 28.
