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Two dagger-axes, Bronze, Chinese Collection Rijksmuseum.
Summary
This kind of broad, dagger-like blade was affixed at a right angle to the end of a long pole, forming a weapon that was probably carried by foot soldiers. The turquoise inlay, however, shows that these were no ordinary weapons. Their chief function may have been symbolic, to emphasize the status of high-ranking officers.
The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft. It can have a hook or thorn on the back side of the axe blade for grappling mounted combatants. The halberd was usually 1.5 to 1.8 metres (5 to 6 feet) long. The word halberd is cognate with the German word Hellebarde, deriving from Middle High German halm (handle) and barte (battleaxe) joined to form helmbarte. Troops that used the weapon were called halberdiers. The word has also been used to describe a weapon of the Early Bronze Age in Western Europe. This consisted of a blade mounted on a pole at a right angle.
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