Originally Posted by
Dinwar
Actually, the first swords WERE bronze. Tangless bronze swords, to be exact. They didn't exactly sweep through other societies, though--spears and the like were more effective for a long time. Iron swords did put an end to most bronze-sword-using societies, however.
Considering that all I was saying is really your last sentence there, I'm kinda scratching my head about the stuff starting with "Actually".
I'm pretty sure that by the normal way English is parsed "the guys who first made iron swords" is not naturally read as saying that the first swords ever were made of iron. Same as if I were to say "Claude de Jouffroy built the first working steam boat", I'm sure nobody would parse that as meaning that there were no boats before steam
Originally Posted by
Dinwar
A better example would be chariots. When Egypt was invaded by some group (Hittites?), they were wiped out because the chariots cut down whole armies. Then the Egyptions learned how to use them, and wiped out their invaders with their own technology.
You mean the Hyksos? Well, the problem weren't just chariots, but the fact that the Egyptian army was thoroughly obsolete. As in, more than a millennium obsolete. Though, yes, chariots did probably play the biggest role.
Still, ok, it probably does make a better example than mine of how new and superior technology was used for conquest.