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In the beginning was the sword, "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."

A weapon of lore, in books, history and legend, we remember Attila the Hun’s sword (supposedly given to him by the hand of God), and Excalibur, the sword of Arthur. And of course the sword of Beowulf “Hrunting”, used in battle against the beast, Grendel's mother. 

The sword is possibly the only hand-held weapon of the ancient world to have it’s sole purpose be none other than to strike dead the fellow man. One of the first military forces to perfect its use was the early Roman Empire. Victory or defeat on the day of battle was oftentimes decided by the closing of the sword, in hand to hand combat. 

For centuries the phalanx tactics (the Hoplite style of a hedge of spears) dominated Greco warfare. Though there were vestiges to some extent up until the 17th century (which by time had been modernized to Pikes), the status quo changed with the entrance of mass-organized, military hand-to-hand combat. 

 From a hedgehog of 25 ft long spears to a compact wall of Roman short swords and shields. While the distance to closing took longer, the fatalities were devastating. Masses of men, closing with each other, and having it out with the short sword, (gladius) hand to hand, face to face. Organized and trained in the art of war, the legionnaire could now skillfully wield a weapon whose only existence was to kill.

At the beginning of the gunpowder era, a rival stood up to take its place with the creation of the firearm. A weapon that could outshoot the bow, run down the horse, or blow a man to pieces. By the mid-1800s, the glorious age of the sword was beginning to see it's end, and has virtually completely slipped into a minority (besides for ceremonial use). But I do not believe we will ever forget the impact, sometimes glorious, sometimes not, the edged weapon of times gone by has made on the world.