TOP 10 African Weapons! The Top 3 Are INSANE!

[@Gina-fr7if]

Just wanted to say as a Congolese American, you did a fantastic job (from my point of view)! Thank you for sharing these snippets of varying African cultures and histories, with such care and respect. Combat in particular is a very touchy subject, given the centuries of atrocity and violence across the continent. This was super informative and engaging! Thank you.

[@metatronyt]

I'm glad you liked It my friend

[@zaraiwzara]

@@metatronyt please do a video on the conquest of the inca and the inca rebellion

[@splitfacemedia8519]

History is to be respected and taught without censor. Our boy here does it right every time

[@3zzzTyle]

Now if only thousands of years of African history were adopted in a Hollywood movie... well, it wouldn't sell as nicely as some blackwashed European story.

[@THEPINAPPLEABLE]

@@burner27 yeah black panther is nonfiction...

[@thejoyfuldragon887]

In your "Inclusivity and history are a bad match" video you briefly touched upon how a lot of other cultures have rich history and their own heroes. Considering you just made this video it could be fun if you made a video all about that stuff.. maybe like a top 10 African legends / heroes or something like that for example!

[@alexd832]

Would be nice, there are some very intresting places that we dont study enough or dont have enough informations

[@andrewv.157]

That will be an very very long work given the number of ethnic group. Maybe a first one about the myth of ethnic family (Bantu etc..) and then zooming in to pick up the best and finnaly zooming out to pick up the best again so that people knows what was the real scale of the challenge

[@adambielen8996]

Yes please

[@bolbyballinger]

Mansa Musa would have to be up there. Dude was so wealthy that he makes Jeff Bezos look poor. Also may have handed out so much free gold while passing through that the Egyptian economy crashed which led to him being able to take more gold from them than he'd given out on his return trip as they were now trying to control the rapid inflation. If that was planed it means the dude knew about the effects of inflation which is something that would probably surprise a lot of people to learn.

[@wingman4356]

1000% Some nominations off the top of my head include Mansa Musa, Sundiata (basically the real Lion King, but Hollywood is banned from making movies about advanced Black civilizations apparently, so my theory is they took the people and changed them to animals. Could be wrong or just partially right), Sonni Ali, Menelik II, Askia Mohammad, Piye (the Nubian king and founder of the 25th Egyptian dynasty), Taharqa; Queen Nzingha Mbande of Ndongo, great Ethiopian general Ras Alula, Ezana of Axum, Kaleb of Axum. My most surprising and unique nominee is Asante Emperor Osei Bonsu (1800-1824), which will provide a window into the incredible Asante political system that was a constitutional monarchy with more democratic and republican elements than probably 90%+ governments of the world and had an indirectly elected 200+ legislature; a shockingly elaborate and efficient bureaucracy in the eyes of Europeans; possibly the best African military of 19th century Africa (including being better than the more famous Ethiopians and Zulu, which was led by Bonsu’s contemporary Shaka) that had some of the more creative tactics you'll find in history; it's innovative use of technology; and Emperor Osei Bonsu provides an example of one of the most competent, forward thinking and humane rulers I’ve read about. He reminds me a lot of Saladin. To really understand him, however, you'll need to dive into primary sources like "Mission from Cape Coast Castle to Ashantee" and many others. If you end up considering Bonsu, I'll be happy to provide the names of plenty of books and published papers. Of course, everything about Asante is far more nuanced and complex and contradictory than what I just wrote. There are so many other great nominees. Thanks for this excellent video. *edit -- Three more intriguing candidates that shed much light of African history: 1. sheikh ahmadou bamba--who my professor of West African history called Gandhi before Gandhi--is one of the most impressive and fascinating figures I've read about. His imprint looms large on modern day Senegal and expands across continents through the large diaspora of successful entrepreneurs in major world cities (New York City even has a day to celebrate him). 2. Ahmad al-Bakkai al Kunti, 19th century Timbuktu political and business leader, whose protection and successful evacuation of explorer Heinrich Barth will someday be a blockbuster Hollywood thriller (never mind. I just remembered it is Hollywood and it sheds a positive light on an advanced Black civilization. Moreover, it doesn’t even reinforce (and even counters) false stereotypes. Thus, it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle..... ) 3. Abu Baba, scholar and educator in 16th century Timbuktu.

[@Stribog1337]

It's a whole funcking continent! Who knows how many military history is there for us to appreciate? Thankfully Metatron is helping in that matter

[@admirekashiri9879]

Tons I'm an African history enthusiast I've been researching for years and I know I've bearly scratched the surface.

[@admirekashiri9879]

@@MrZog-yv3be we use the Latin script to write our languages now so many things about many different cultures have been written down like there is an entire Book on African arms and armour as well as the histories of ethnic groups like the Yoruba etc.

[@abba9881]

not that much lol, relax

[@admirekashiri9879]

@@abba9881 there is alot actually he is right. The continent as highlighted wasn't and still isn't homogenious the cultures had different forms of military and warfare.

[@dicorockhimself]

@@admirekashiri9879 can you give the name of the book for African arms and armor?

[@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight]

I remember watching that Samurai Jack episode where he trained somewhere in Africa as a child. He grabbed a sword of an enemy tribe, and it wasn’t until many years later that I learned the weapon he used was inspired by the Benin sword.

[@nostrodelaantares8416]

When i was a kid i used to draw weird cool swords on the back of my notebook, looks like the Zulu craftsman that designed the double edged Ngulu (12:46) and me had something very special in common.

[@Biouke]

Same, my middle school note books were basically sketch books full of fantasy weapons and armour designs XD My favourite was a sort of two-handed inverted kopesh :p

[@MedievalFantasyTV]

You too?

[@nostrodelaantares8416]

@Tammy 23 y.o - check my vidéó besides the fact that I got distracted by the lady in your profile picture... Yes, it's true, nice observation! And good detail on the show's part.

[@Eduardo-so9mk]

@@nostrodelaantares8416 bruh, i'm pretty sure that's a bot that copy other comments and paste them as answers, I mean, just look at the name it's clearly bait and besides if you search in the comments page you find the exact same comment below lol

[@nostrodelaantares8416]

@@Eduardo-so9mk I thought it was some kind of self promoting thingy Really? Comment copying bots? Damn, everything is plagued by bots right now...

[@tauempire1793]

Its very cool you shed a light on African History which I do study myself, and I do think there needs to be more on about African history other then slavery or colonialism as that's just part of the continents history. Anyways much appreciated lord of thr Noble ones.

[@thepiratepenguin4465]

For the greater Good

[@admirekashiri9879]

Exactly

[@ZXNTV]

This

[@bolbyballinger]

All I learned about Africa in school was that it had Egypt, it was the place we got slaves from, and that it got colonized. The history book had more stuff in it from pre-white people days, but we instead spent a solid month or two learning about the French revolution and how it was extremely important. (Though we were never told WHY it was important)

[@admirekashiri9879]

@@bolbyballinger exactly and that's why shame it breeds alot of misconceptions about the continent.

[@mikepette4422]

The egyptians really had some impressive weapons I mean everyone loves the Khopesh but those Mace-Axes are pretty cool too. This is the first time I've seen anyone name them. Well done Metatron good video

[@shakalalalalkh1098]

I think the Egyptian weapons are more like basic defensive weapons, in contrast to the those weird freaky looking weapons in Africa

[@zenhydra]

I think you'll find that most North African weapons were deeply influenced by the cultural interplay created by the Mediterranean. This was true well before Alexander of Macedonia (et alia) forced Greek culture down everyone's throats.

[@Gray-soul_81]

Khopesh is my favorite African weapon, ever. Always admired it.

[@berserk9085]

the khopesh came from the middle east.

[@shakalalalalkh1098]

@@berserk9085 and you know this because....??

[@admirekashiri9879]

Finally you've covered some African weapons. I thought you had forgotten my request. Good to see, didn't expect you'd mention the weapon of my ancestors the Bakatwa. Btw the Ida blades you showed looked more like Massai Seme swords they are very similar but, I believe a historical Ida has a different handle. And I believe Assagai is a generic word for spear associated with North African spears firstly then later come to include other African spears like the Zulu throwing one, I believe it has a different indegenious name.

[@lordzaboem]

Do you have a photo of an ida blade you can show us?

[@admirekashiri9879]

@lordzaboem I shared a link, but youtube is annoying constantly deleting. I did in the comment I can't find the example online, but the Ida was similar to the Opia, a sword used by the neighbouring Edo people. You'll get an idea of what the handle was like.

[@sjappiyah4071]

Good to see you here bro, I always see you on From Nothing & Hometeam history’s comments

[@admirekashiri9879]

@@sjappiyah4071 thank you can't believe people recognise me so much these days lol.

[@thatindiandude4602]

@@admirekashiri9879 I have seen you here and there as well:D

[@collinbanke6996]

Africa has such a wealth of underrated history. I'm always glad to see it noticed. Not to mention that I've always had a fondness for the takouba.

[@JL-ti3us]

Nguni is more like an ethnic grouping than a single group, it generally refers to the Zulu; Xhosa and the Ndebele/Matabele (depending if your in SA or Zimbabwe) as well as others, in a collective sense.

[@ForbiddenFollyFollower]

You got him. He's a racist.

[@JL-ti3us]

@@ForbiddenFollyFollower 🙄

[@PieceOfPaperTheThird]

@@ForbiddenFollyFollower really bro? OP is just giving more context to the information provided in the video. Why do you have to read into it with the worst possible interpretation?

[@jeffreygao3956]

@@ForbiddenFollyFollower If Mr. Urbani was a racist, he'd never be interested in non-white cultures whatsoever...even though he has lived in Japan for several years, has several videos about Asian history/cultures, and has mastery over the Chinese and Japanese languages. He even promotes the From Nothing channel which is run by an African American man.

[@roulant694]

@@ForbiddenFollyFollower obvious troll smeh

[@davidrhoney832]

That's cool stuff. African history is like South American history - under studied and under appreciated. @metatron: have you thought about getting italian ww1 and ww2 equipment and covering it as well?

[@boredfangerrude]

African history isn't something that seems easy to research so there isn't much to put out there for people to see and appreciate. I think its more that than under appreciated.

[@robertstrong6798]

Italian battleships were superb a real threat to the Royal navy , what let them down was lack of experianced well trained crew , its interesting but I think metatron likes classical history lol 😆

[@jondesoo8055]

You need to learn Portuguese and Spanish before studying South American history. It's a waste of time to even try to find reliable sources in English. Pure bull crap.

[@pulseweld]

We know they sacrificed and ate their own children

[@sercravenmohead3631]

@@robertstrong6798 Shit more importantly they didn’t have oil

[@vegapunk100]

Missed one of the best weapon makers of Africa Benin Empire. Benin empire had crossbows elaborated gilded spears and awesome flat broad swords

[@brittakriep2938]

I have seen in a documentation movie long time ago people from the western half of Africa with crossbows. Perhaps their ancestors saw crossbows used by portugiese in 15th century.

[@vegapunk100]

@@brittakriep2938 Possibly, or it could be indigenous. the crossbow wasn't a bolt launcher like portoguese crossbows it was an heavy arrow laucher believed to be more powerfull and long ranged than portoguese crossbows

[@brittakriep2938]

@@vegapunk100 : The crossbows i saw years ago on TV had been not large.

[@vegapunk100]

@@brittakriep2938 you can easily look it up with a google search. Even in the official site of the British museum. the projectile it fired was an arrow typically poisoned by Benin experts

[@brittakriep2938]

@@vegapunk100 : I will do so!

[@mdx3020]

I was waiting for the "Ikakalaka" sword.... its my personal favorite because the blade tip has protutions that can be used to concentrate the impact, as a hook or as a sickle.... its a cool brute-force anti-armor weapon

[@ZXNTV]

Yeah me too, plus I've seen plenty of fantasy artists/writes use that sword for their hero ect.

[@jacobkeltz3584]

Looks like the Crucible sword from Doom Eternal took some notes lol

[@georgiykireev9678]

@@jacobkeltz3584 the Crucible may also be an independent design, since making up new sword variations, especially when you don't need to actually make them or even make the design practical, is not particularly difficult

[@wendigo1619]

I used some of these as a basis for the fantasy weapons Orcs use in my novel, as well as nepalese and mongolian weapons, i love the look of them and they fit what i have for orks as a nomadic mongolian esk group

[@main9087]

Sounds awesome, best of luck to you

[@marcello7781]

Mixing cultures in fantasy novels has always been fascinating. I particularly liked the look they gave to the Rohirrim on LOTR trilogy, IMO like a mix of Norsemen (people, buildings) and Mongolians (importance of horses) but I might just be speculating because I'm kinda obsessed with Mongolian history. Best of luck!

[@cahallo5964]

@@marcello7781 bro what?, there has been europeans steppe warriors forever, ever heard of the Aryans? Nothing mongolian on that.

[@arktisch36]

Based.

[@MasterIceyy]

@@marcello7781 Rohan is pure Anglo-Saxon my friend

[@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History]

Really appreciate this video Metatron! I personally know very little about African weapons and armour, and this is very well done!

[@matthabir4837]

Certain parts of Africa, otherwise perfect for mounted warfare, were closed to horse-breeding and keeping, thanks to insect pests.

[@fransbuijs808]

You mean the tsetse fly.

[@admirekashiri9879]

Indeed but some areas horses were able to survive and were kept safe from the Tsetse some how. The Oyo Empire had horses in regions were Tsetse fly were present.

[@foam3132]

@@admirekashiri9879 At certain times of year, they couldn't use horses though

[@LouisAndreNunes]

Fantasy haters: "theres no way swords were monstrous shaped like that, it's not historical..." Africans: "hold my Ngulu!"

[@shawnwolf5961]

Nobody says historically swords WEREN'T shaped like that, they say they were not effective in combat. Which they aren't. That was an executioner's sword, and as Metatron said directly in the video, it was not used in combat. There is a big difference between a functional combat sword and something only used to kill someone who isn't fighting back. It was never a matter of people saying ridiculous looking swords didn't exist. They just weren't actually used in war.

[@MrHodoAstartes]

Executioner's swords can be as big and badass as the executioner can lift. Combat efficacy plays no part. German cities would display them as a reminder of grim justice, embossed with declarations of well wishes for the afterlife and other religious justification.

[@stefanodadamo6809]

Africans: "Ngulu a ttia!" Calabrians and Sicilians will understand 🤣🤣🤣

[@junichiroyamashita]

@@stefanodadamo6809 i knew this was going to be here.

[@lordzaboem]

Hilarious, Louis

[@sacalius_papalagius]

I just finished the "Virgin Killer" I read because of you. It was my first time buying something due to a commercial online and I was not disappointed. I mean for what I expected it to be it was a surprisingly enjoyable read. ty

[@functionatthejunction]

I wish we would see more major fantasy novels using African cultures as a backdrop. Indian too. So much source material and imagery.

[@assumjongkey1383]

The general audience might not be very instructed and that is the main risk

[@Nhexturtle]

tell that to Netflix, hopefully they'll stop destroying European history and folklore for Social Justice.

[@marcello7781]

Well said. I personally like to write and draw about mythology from all around the world and there's a lot of interesting stuff that could be a great source of inspiration. Some people might accuse of "cultural appropriation" but if the research and documentation is well done then I'm sure most people will appreciate it.

[@Nhexturtle]

@ayub farah yes but they were never Spanish Queens or british roman centurions nor Vikings, they were not the inspiration for Lancelot, Achilles nor any character of polish mythology.

[@lerquian1970]

@@assumjongkey1383 maybe they can present it as an exotic and unique culture, not just Africa but fictional

[@GallowglassAxe]

Great video and African weapons are highly under represented. One correction is your number 2 item is not a Mambele. A Mambele is a sickle sword from central Africa. What you showed was a kpinga or hunga munga. Other than the name everything else was correct. But yeah Wikipedia calls it a Mambele but Skallagrim and Da'Mon Stith show what a proper Mambele sword is.

[@theghosthero6173]

The most commonly referred name in academia for those throwing weapons is simply throwing iron. Their is no point in using one of the hundred of names historically used for it.

[@GallowglassAxe]

@@theghosthero6173 Okay but Mambele is a completely different different weapon all together.

[@theghosthero6173]

@@GallowglassAxe oh I know

[@admirekashiri9879]

Actually you'd be surprised many are represented in various films and video games its just people don't know they're African based. Like the Ikakalaka is in various video games as is the Kapinga and Shotel in dark souls.

[@GallowglassAxe]

@@admirekashiri9879 I know right. Like I notice the Kpinga in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and there is an African sickle weapon (I don't know the name off hand) that was in the live action Mulan movie.

[@belalabusultan5911]

Metatron: they added poison to the blade when killing people. me: Meh... Metatron: and hey added pepper too. me: That's *Psychopathic*

[@ExeErdna]

So they understood the pepper would up the heart rate more than just poison alone. Now I have to adapt that Roleplay since it's so smart.

[@WhatIsThatThingDoing]

That's the kind of thing I come here for. Little nuances that make sense, in little ways that would easily be neglected.

[@belalabusultan5911]

@@WhatIsThatThingDoing do you mean the invention of pepper blades, or my comment?

[@thelittleal1212]

Damm, the ancient Africans really love crush their enemy’s , those weapons do are intimidating🤯🤯🤯🤯

[@divanbuys1484]

South African here, the Z in Zulu is pronounced like a normal Z and the Xh in Xhosa is a click sound. Love your work Metatron, thank you for speaking about pre-colonial Africa.

[@zakazany1945]

I find so interesting these click sounds in language, but they are nightmare difficult to pronunciate when you aren't a native speaker

[@aaa1e2r3]

so it would be pronounced as a tongue click followed by saying Osa?

[@fransbuijs808]

Just jumped in to say that our last name exists both in the Netherlands and in South Africa!🙋

[@buckthegoth]

@@lonelystrategos Quite a few, Afrikaans, English, Xhosa, Bantu and Zulu. They told me learned them growing up on the farms to be able to speak to the farm hands and by their black nanny's.

[@divanbuys1484]

@@lonelystrategos it's taught in the Xhosa provinces, there are 9 main African languages all taught in school in their respective province, sadly the 2 Mandatory language subjects are Afrikaans and English. I would have loved to study and African language in school.

[@adrigl3371]

11:33 so the Lizalfos weapons from Zelda Breath of the Wild really existed, cool!

[@admirekashiri9879]

Many weapons you see in video games are African based believe it or not.

[@adrigl3371]

@@admirekashiri9879 and no one is talking about it :/ sad times

[@admirekashiri9879]

@@adrigl3371 actually there is this channel called Red Spirit Mask he has covered this topic but he doesn't get thst much view ls. Check him out you'll find the video where he covers this topic its very informative.

[@AnotherDuck]

The best part is that it's the tri-bladed one that's an almost exact match (the BotW has a bunch of spikes/teeth, but the overall blade shape is exactly the same), which is the more... extravagant design of them.

[@Peecamarke]

GREAT video! Nice to see a video praising weapons outside of Europe instead critizing them and African weapons outside of Egypt 👍🏿, I've seen so much of those lately. Thank you for this video Metatron

[@rafaelivazaki2524]

1:11 egypt spear 1:58 zulu iklwa 3:00 takouba 6:27 egypt axe 7:17 ida sword 8:03 iwisa 9:28 kopesh 10:30 nzappa ZAP 11:30 mabbele 12:20 ngulu

[@gabrielschake6259]

My sister went on several mission trips over to Africa and brought back a bunch of native made goods as souvenirs for the rest of the family. She new of my passion for blades in general. So for me she brought back a locally made Ida. Needless to say I was beyond tickled. I love the blade and design, but I noticed very quickly how small the handle is. I almost couldn't grip it properly, and couldn't get very good leverage when chopping or cutting. Started wondering if those guys have tiny hands or what.

[@coldhardtruth333]

You can always get a bigger blade . Also remember those days your sword was forged to your specifics .

[@diezelfunk]

Wonderful video! Also, mambele knives are obtainable throwing subweapons in both Castlevania: Symphony of the Night as well as Portrait of Ruin.

[@joshuagannon6566]

I always liked getting the Duplicator and running around spam-throwing those things. This video helped me learn a bit more about them.

[@TheMrGobelin]

You didn'y mention the Shotel ! it's a wonderful sword from the Axum Dynasty!

[@julietfischer5056]

There are so many weapons he could easily spend a year on Africa.

[@jacobkeltz3584]

That's such a cool sword! I dub it the curviest sword ever lol. I'm really enjoying reading comments from people like you about this stuff I never knew about

[@TheMrGobelin]

@@jacobkeltz3584 My pleasure to help !

[@asgautbakke8687]

I'm disappointed that the Ethiopian shotel isn't mentioned. A descendant of the Egyptian khopesh it was curved like a half moon. The blade had a diamond-like cross-section, it was meant to stab like a European rapier not slash like a medieval blade or sabre. The half-moon shape meant that it could stab a person defending with a shield, alternatively it could hook down the shield of an enemy to open him for a spear attack. I'm also missing the Sudan spear, a spear with a fairly normal length but a HUGE spear-point!

[@lordseye1839]

Two of my favorite history channels From nothing and Metatron collaborating is pretty nice.

[@axlefoxe]

Best believe I clicked this video as soon as I saw it, to a history enthusiast African history is like that season of your favorite show that keeps getting put off or canceled so seeing ANYTHING is exciting. More African history please I can't ever find anything.

[@admirekashiri9879]

Lol to a African history enthusiast like me it's a masterpiece in the making or a series that keeps getting better and better with the more you find and discover.

[@patrickbateman3587]

Great vid. One thing worth to mention is how the Ngulu was used to execute. The condemned was kept seated with ropes, and his head was fastened with leather straps to a bent tree branch. In this way it was ensured that the man's neck would remain stretched. After the decapitation, the head would be automatically catapulted far away. Source : Afrikanische Waffen

[@marcycolleti551]

Great Video! Please more about african weapons, shields and armour. A Video about indian weapons would be also nice!

[@nehukybis]

Expected the Eritrean Shotel to at least get a mention. A uniquely bizarre sword actually used in combat, rather than as an executioner's device or status symbol. And it was very widely used in Ethiopia during the middle ages and into the early modern period.

[@AymanAnasi]

Hey Metatron, I found your channel recently and just wanted to give you my support and say that you produce such good content. It’s the perfect mix of entertaining and educational. I was wondering if you’ve heard of the new popular game called Chivalry 2. It’s supposed to be a more realistic combat game but is it accurate? Only the Metatron can answer!

[@metatronyt]

Thanks! I'll check It out!

[@coconut5002]

@@metatronyt GREAT RESEARCH AND THANKS FOR DOCUMENTING OUR HISTORY.

[@lipokyanger7685]

If only Netflix, Disney & wokies would even pretend to care to study such topics rather than blackwash/anywash well-known history. This is yet another cool video Lord Metatron. I'm new here but I've loved every content so far.

[@metatronyt]

Thank you and welcome among the noble ones

[@zacsmith2862]

Lol he said “wokies” 😭

[@sealstorm1935]

That last weapon, OMG can you even imagine getting decapited by that thing. I'd say you would need the strongest man in the village to wield it.

[@chideraalexanderdex547]

Great video, I only knew about the Zulu weapons but it was nice to learn about others plus your pronounciation of the iklwa isn't bad It's not easy to pronounce so good job

[@malahamavet]

actualy my favourite sword is the Kaskara which didn't apear here. it's a straight blade with a crossguard similar to eastern europe/ middle eastern saber ones. but man, I can't decide which axe was my favourite, I want all of them!

[@TheBarser]

I was recently the national museum off my country, and the weapons on display from African and also Polynesia blew me away. They are so awesome and creative.

[@CarnalKid]

One of the cool things about Indo-Persian and African weapons is that you see some stuff that looks pretty wild and zany from a European perspective, but also things that are remarkably similar to "Western" weapons.

[@Akillez7]

I'm really enjoying that we are exploring Africa 🌍 together. I look forward to further African history videos and then move to Middle East and Asia.

[@_genova6230]

The shona bakatwa is definatly my favorite simple and elegant

[@svendaum5301]

I had hoped that the "Shotel" from Ethiopia would also appear. Culturally and in terms of combat use, very interesting! AOE 2 fans know it well ;)

[@RicardoMoralesMassin]

Thank you Metatron!! I learned a lot on this one. That last double sided Ngulu was a total beauty.

[@chroma6947]

The hadza bow, takes an hour or so to make and is still in use today

[@projectrain2254]

You should do a Video on African ARMOR as well. You'll be surprised at the many different types.

[@admirekashiri9879]

Indeed, it would be hard to find some info on it though. Took me years to find and some some various types of African armor.

[@projectrain2254]

@@admirekashiri9879 The same channel that he shouted out "From Nothing" has a video on it, lol

[@admirekashiri9879]

@@projectrain2254 I know I'm the one who asked Jabari to make the video 😁 lol. I'm one of his patreon supporters.

[@Rohtix]

These are freakin wild weapons. I love them all. The African warriors were truly something else. They both look and sound fierce.

[@Dragon-iv8in]

The axe at 7:10 looks like the weapons from the 9e Necron models. They're really digging deep with the Egyptian stuff.

[@judeugwu4987]

He forgot to mention the most dangerous African weapon. The belt

[@noviloba]

Very nice. Thanks. You left out the Ashanti sword Akrafena or Afena, which is quite a beauty.

[@lordInquisitor]

The knopkierie is the afrikaans translation for the weapon , meaning if directly translated to bulged cane . Knop =bulg. Kierie= cane

[@accountretired9479]

Yep it's proper name is Iwisa

[@boneman-calciumenjoyer8290]

My great grandfather owned an Ida. I never knew what it was growing up. When asked, the old man would always just say that it was a gift from a friend of his grandfather (so my great great great grandfather). Not quite sure what great grandma did with it after the great grandpa passed. But it wasn't there anymore when we had to clear out her house.

[@jacobkeltz3584]

Super cool stuff here. I've been really interested in medieval warfare, but I've mostly looked at the European stuff. The mambele looks like what someone would draw if you gave them the instructions "dangerous" and "pointy." I would love to see more videos on Africa! It would be cool to see some stuff on some of the tactics used, and maybe armor.

[@FromNothing]

Great video and thanks for the shoutout!

[@metatronyt]

My pleasure and thank you for your great content

[@admirekashiri9879]

@@metatronyt cheers for finally doing the request thought you had forgotten.

[@SageOfLimitlessHands]

Love hearing Egypt being included in this. So tired of hearing Egypt as middle east and not african

[@jaxthewolf4572]

Egypt connects to the Middle East but yes it's still located in North Africa, so Egypt is African. Where do people get the idea it's not?

[@SageOfLimitlessHands]

@@jaxthewolf4572 Not sure man. I think the culture is too popular to allow Africans to have it so they hand it off to the middle east as if most of it is there and not Africa.

[@emlmm88]

@@jaxthewolf4572Prpbanly because Egyptians are white, and when people think of Africa they mainly think of black countries, so North Africa is overlooked or thought of as part of the Mediterranean/Middle East instead of Africa proper.

[@bobliger118]

really surprised that you didn't mention the shotel in number 4

[@MorganRhysGibbons]

African peoples and their history are SO under-represented, but there's so much cool and fascinating stuff to learn. Thank you for presenting more information for your audience!

[@buildinasentry1046]

Its a shame that so much african history is lost due to a lack of the written word (Mainly southern africa)

[@admirekashiri6651]

@@buildinasentry1046 not really lost there are some written historical documents plus oral accounts. I'm southern African I know who my ancestor was what he did and who his brother was and what he did etc, he was the younger sibling of the king in the 1600s.

[@patximartel]

The takouba was introduced in Spain during the North African invasion, the spanish copied the styled and called it jineta (the Tizona sword is a famous example of a jineta), it was named after the Zenata tribe and is also the root for the word jinete (rider), it was a word that started to be for light cavalry meant to counter North African light cavalry and later became a word for a generic rider.

[@Maugrim76]

🇸🇪👋 Sweden here. What an interesting video. Such a great source of inspiration for future TV-series or movies. How come no one is picking up African legends or mythology for shows??? There is so much being done about romans, Vikings, Greeks, Japanese... but we know almost nothing about African ancient heroes, wars or weapons. Hollywood, here's your chance. 🎬

[@Sabundy]

As an African I would prefer that we tell our own stories and histories thanks. Definitely NOT Hollywood. Hollywood has a stunningly piss poor track record in terms of representing anything African. It's almost always stereotypical as hell, completely stupid (no understanding of African languages or geography whatsoever), or distorted to fit some American politics or ideology.

[@admirekashiri6651]

@@Sabundy exactly unless ofcourse we are at the helm of the production then fair enough but Hollywood without actual Africans producers, experts and consultants hell no.

[@leebartlett6283]

The double bladed executioner is awesome. Thank you for showing me some weapons ive never heard of

[@tripple-a6031]

I already knew most of them and my favorite would be either the Rungu or the Mambele, the #1 however was completely new to me and it looks really badass.

[@lordzaboem]

Same

[@xenomorphphantom8852]

In the manga "Goblin Slayer" the protagonist uses a Mambele with great effect....I think the author sees these videos too. I'm waiting for the main character to start using a Lantern shield at any point now.

[@paintbrush3554]

I love this channel. Completely turned me into a historical weapons geek

[@philjones3824]

The manga Crying Freeman (same writer as Lone Wolf and Cub) in "The Killing Ring" story arc, featured a few African throwing axes/swords, the hunga-munga (I think you called it the Mbele? #2) and the other was referred to as a bird-head because of it's shape. Also featured was the chakrum, which is not African, though the character who used it was. Brilliantly, he kept it hidden in the brim of his hat. This was in the late 1980's, long before Xena or Forged in Fire.

[@ninjatodd123]

I really appreciate you spreading light on african weaponry, we can always use the representation in the larger History/Hema community

[@clone3249]

the representation is in the hama community dude

[@admirekashiri9879]

The representation is in HAMAA (Historical African Martial Arts Association) bro. Search the KZbin channel and Facebook group..

[@lukeblackman66]

Thanks for covering black history we appreciate it

[@metatronyt]

My pleasure my friend

[@jellekastelein7316]

Proud owner of nrs 8 and (single bladed) 1, and both of the honorable mentions (and also a parade version of the two bladed nr 1). I'd also recommend the shotel (kind of a modern kopesh), Ngbandi swords (they're massive hooking slashy things), and the Sudanese kaskara. My ngulu is actually not all that heavy. It's a pretty thin blade and surprisingly nimble. Still, I would not want to be hit by it at all.

[@crazypomp927]

#2 clearly served as an inspiration for the Lizal type weapons in Breath of the Wild. I mean I recognized the shape immediately! Also, if Hollywood made this list, it would have been called the Top 10 Viking Weapons, and would have featured two of these African weapons and a Katana.

[@MayYourGodGoWithYou]

Is the 'mambele' (probably spelled incorrectly, sorry about that) anything like a mouzeri,' a Teda throwing knife which features in the book Flyaway? The description is as follows:- "The handle was a foot long but the rest of it is hard to describe. It curved in a half-circle and two other blades projected at right-angles with hooks on the end. There seemed to be a multiplicity of cutting edges, each as sharp as a razor."* It was used to bring down antelope when hunting, in the book it was used to bring down a human at the ankles very successfully. *From the book ''Flyaway'' by Desmond Bagley

[@zsDUGGZ]

Honestly, my favorite weapon from Africa is the Ikalaka sword. It's like the Armorslayer from the Fire Emblem series but shorter and for one handed use.

[@admirekashiri9879]

Ikakalaka you missed out one ka lol. I thought he would mention it actually.

[@gk2370]

My favourite is #2 Mambele (spelling?), that weapon has a cool design and can hurt regardless from which angle it hit. Deadliest Warrior (I know, it has lots of inaccuracies) features the Zande's warriors' K'Pinga, which is very similar to that weapon.

[@IMMAOILMAN]

Now this is an appropriate response to the feedback that the Inclusivity video got. Very well done, though I was hoping the Ethiopian Shotel would make an appearance! It's a unique approach to the get-behind-shield problem, and it also looks a lot like a fantasy sickle. So that's cool.

[@thelaughinghyenas8465]

Cool historical video. That's a nice survey of weapons across the continent. How many of them would the Roman legions have seen in combat?

[@koehlerrk1]

Very interesting video... such an amazing variety of weapons. Yes, I know Africa is a large continent, but those designs show some unique ways to solve the problems armorers have always had to contend with. Great video, thank you for sharing.

[@DaWorldGuardian001]

The Iklwa is my favourite. I created a character for myself called Ilin who wields a weapon named Elenee /ɛlɛniː/ - basically a hybrid of a sword and a magic sceptre/staff. Interestingly the Iklwa resembles the blade part. I can just imagine myself twirling the thing around while slicing and dicing some enemies.

[@bc7138]

Will you be covering African armour? I have been fascinated by the body armour and helmets worn by figures represented on the Benin bronzes for a while now, but can't seem to find information about them - have any examples survived to the modern age? What material(s) were they made from? I also recall seeing so-called "chainmail" armour from Africa dating to the late 19th early 20th century in the British museum. I am sure there were a variety of armour across the continent and throughout time.

[@admirekashiri9879]

And mail was used during thst time period and way before too actually. Christian Nubians soldiers (like my profile pic) had mail in the 10th century AD there were fragments found from archeaological digs.

[@bc7138]

@@admirekashiri9879 Thanks for the information. I've seen mail armor from various places across the continent, but especially from Sudan. With regards to the armor of the Benin Kingdom/Empire was it a type of decorated cloth armor like a gambeson or were there lamellar like small iron plates involved? From modern reconstructions from Nigeria it seems to be a padded cloth armor but I can't seem to find any surviving historical examples outside of the images on the Benin bronzes.

[@admirekashiri9879]

@@bc7138 tbh I'm not sure exactly going by what I've read ot seems to have been a combination of various materials. Like one source mentions an elephant skin breastplate with metal, another mentions scale made of pangolin skin and scales as well as metal. So its really difficult to know how exactly that would have looked. And what reconstruction? I've not seen any tbh. The image in the link below gives an idea of what some pf their leather uniform was like I'm not aure if it was meant to be armor or just a military uniform you see various soldiers of the kingdom wearing that.

[@Cysubtor_8vb]

I've managed to have heard of many of these before, but didn't realize how fixated on axes the Egyptians were. Also, I hadn't thought of the khopesh being used from chariots, but that usage start to parallel later calvary sabres and makes the design seem a lot more practical.

[@alexrossouw7702]

More about African military tactics from history please, it gets such little attention.

[@admirekashiri9879]

Good idea but it requires alot of resources and good sources in this area are sometimes in French or German.

[@rexadebayo3380]

Ahhh! My man the Metatron! This is just beautiful. I am a bit miffed you didn't mention the Ada (Ancient Benin weapon) but you killed it my brother. Thank you. PS: When are you going to tell us about your people? I know you are Sicilian. That makes you 1/4 Greek, 1/4 Carthaginian, 1/4 Roman, 1/8 Arab and 1/8 Norman. There's a good story somewhere in that soup. Then of course you might be related to the Corleones. When are you going to make us an offer we can't refuse? Tell us about Sicily. Please!

[@nikolakrastev8880]

Honestly I don't understand why Hollywood needs to blackwash everything. Tehe cultures in Africa are interesting and could make for interesting movies, documentaries etc.

[@tobiasthesecond5605]

There needs to be less reliance on Hollywood, whom already has a reputation for doing botched takes on historical settings. This needs to be done by African historians and filmmakers.

[@admirekashiri9879]

​@professionalretard6477 depends on the region. South African studios are pretty good. The trailer of the new Shaka Zulu series looks good quality. It's called Shaka Ilembe.

[@FloodExterminator]

Wow! That Ida sword looks scary! Very primitive looking but I bet it's very efficient!

[@nelevartelvanni3031]

Yo Metatron thanks for the great content as always

[@Dumebi2]

Aww, I was hoping to see the Ada or the Eben get mentioned, especially because of how unique the Eben looks.

[@mecurian485]

Good lord, an actual exploration of precolonial Africa without the usual racial handwringing. Thank you. This is the Africa we need to see.

[@CaptainVincentRiley]

Amazing stuff, I'd be very interested in more videos on African history, arms and armor.

[@TermiNation_45669.]

I was waiting for you to do a video like this, I enjoy how you tackle the subject of history. Hope to see other similar videos about Africa from you in the future.

[@itsbeyondme5560]

He didn't

[@mollof7893]

I'm glad you shout outed From Nothing, it's a great channel.

[@riteshyeddu]

this was awesome! I'd love to see more of nubian history too, if possible :)

[@robbuelens]

Many mambele were forged from copper in regions that had ironworking. Those were used as a form of currency or as status symbols. Often the designs were often too heavy or too flimsy or way too elaborate to have any practical use, but because of the clear craftsmanship needed to make them their value went up. The region is well known for using copper items as a form of currency. Mainly as a sort of ingots called copper croisettes, but as adornishments of masks, jewelry and weaponry as well.

[@Nyatsimba_Mutota]

I'm from the Shona tribe and the Bakatwa had some hooks on the edges so that when you are stabbing someone you'd also hook their guts out so that there's no chance of them surviving.

[@admirekashiri9879]

We aren't a tribe bro we are an ethnic group.

[@Nyatsimba_Mutota]

@@admirekashiri9879 hoo nhai haaa tsokei cha momz

[@admirekashiri9879]

@@Nyatsimba_Mutota 😂👍🏾

[@littlekong7685]

That pyramid pommel looks so nice on the Takouba, and the Ngulu looks like an Elven sword, I need to find me one of those =P

[@br1qbat]

From Nothing just got a new sub. Looking forward to diving deep into his vids. Thanks!

[@inregionecaecorum]

My favourite African weapon is the Beja dagger, from the Sudan, because I am fortunate enough to possess three of them.

[@admirekashiri9879]

Ye love then Sudanese daggers too.

[@bastiaan0741]

11:55 how many spikes would you like on your dagger? Africa: yes.

[@TermiNation_45669.]

Africa: how about all of them.

[@nilspochat8665]

the IKAKALAKA is an african ceremonial sword. It features a needlessly broad tip, which gives a distinct fantasy style to the weapon. It's unlikely these were used in battle, but as a symbol of status, gifts, etc. The ikakalaka looks so so good! To the point its design has been used for a number of designs in fiction, often for gigantic swords.

[@admirekashiri9879]

It was actually used I believe. There was a ceremonial version and an actual combat version

[@nilspochat8665]

@@admirekashiri9879 of course they were, considering HOW COOL they look! i mean, wouldn't you too use an unpractical, too heavy weapon like that just to fuck with the morale of the enemy on the battlefield by looking like a monster hunter character? more seriously though, they were just not common at all is what i mean, since research showed their role was more "ceremonial". Only the most weapon-oriented ones were used as well, since like any other "social-class/status-showing" items there were the fancy versions made of gem incrusted-gold etc.

[@admirekashiri9879]

@@nilspochat8665 😂 how do you know it was too heavy? Or unpractical when you haven't used it or seen the weapon in action? Lol Yes there are ceremonial versions and actual weapons. They weren't a primary weapon but they were used also.

[@nilspochat8665]

@@admirekashiri9879 the documentary i discovered it in stated it. ("too heavy for its size" would be more accurate since the latter can vary). Can't tell you much more than that about those swords, i'm no expert, plus even if i'd make the effort to find the source for you i couldn't tell you if it was in english or in french, so... (actually, it may have had a relationship with great zimbabwe, but may be i'm mixing those memories so definitely don't quote me on that.)

[@admirekashiri9879]

@@nilspochat8665 What documentary?? Better to check with people who research these weapons and I know many being a causal member of HAMAA (Historical African Martial Arts Association) some of those weapons were actually very very light especially the ceremonial ones. Plus usually they weren't too long.

[@ChanakyanStudent7971]

I absolutely love the zulu spear It is my second most favourite spear like weapon after that cross shaped halberd. I dunno what it's called.

[@ominousblackknight]

You mean the Partizan spear?

[@ChanakyanStudent7971]

@@ominousblackknight is it the halberd with 3 double edged blades angled 90° apart from each other? Forming a cross?

[@ominousblackknight]

@@ChanakyanStudent7971 sort of, yes

[@ChanakyanStudent7971]

@@ominousblackknight I just looked it up, I think it is called a yari

[@ominousblackknight]

@@ChanakyanStudent7971 ah yes, the japanese winged spear then

[@thetruthofme6149]

Hey brother, great video. Just a pronunciation correction on (XHosa). If you click the roof of your mouth as you say OSA leaving 'XH' silent, (sounds like 'Sosa', but its actually click-osa as one word) the click is performed at the same time as your vocal cords hit 'O'. I hope this makes sense. Ps im of African decent, have travelled the mother land extensively, and i would like to say that YOUR CHANNEL IS NOT RASCIST. Keep up the great work.

[@narcisamonar6216]

Awesome video. I only knew of the Zulu and there special spears.