A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as bone, flint, obsidian, copper, bronze, iron, or steel. The most common design for hunting and/or warfare, since ancient times has incorporated a metal spearhead shaped like a triangle, diamond, or leaf. The heads of fishing spears usually feature multiple sharp points, with or without barbs. Richter, Daniel; Krbetschek, Matthias (December 2015). "The age of the Lower Paleolithic occupation at Schöningen". Journal of Human Evolution. 89: 46–56. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.06.003. PMID 26212768.

Pelian Spear, a spear that only Achilles could wield, inherited from his father Peleus, made by Chiron from an ash tree on Mount Pelion. Webster, T.B.L. (1977). From Mycenae to Homer. London: Methuen. pp.166–8. ISBN 978-0-416-70570-6 . Retrieved 15 Feb 2010. Rhongomyniad referred to simply as Ron ("spear") in Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of Britain, the spear of King Arthur. [69] [ verification needed] Statue of the Hindu God of War, Murugan, holding his primary weapon, the Vel. Batu Caves, Malaysia.Thieme, Hartmut (1997-02-27). "Lower Palaeolithic hunting spears from Germany". Nature. 385 (6619): 807–810. Bibcode: 1997Natur.385..807T. doi: 10.1038/385807a0. PMID 9039910. S2CID 4283393 . Retrieved 2017-01-09. The Celts would symbolically destroy a dead warrior's spear either to prevent its use by another or as a sacrificial offering. Spears can be divided into two broad categories: those designed for thrusting as a melee weapon (usually referred to as lances or pikes) and those designed for throwing as a ranged weapon (usually referred to as darts or javelins). One of the earliest forms of killing prey for humans, hunting game with a spear and spear fishing continues to this day as both a means of catching food and as a cultural activity. Some of the most common prey for early humans were megafauna such as mammoths which were hunted with various kinds of spear. One theory for the Quaternary extinction event was that most of these animals were hunted to extinction by humans with spears. Even after the invention of other hunting weapons such as the bow and sling, the spear continued to be used, either as a projectile weapon or used by hand, such as in bear hunting and boar hunting. Pre-columbian Atl Atl Spear Throwers". www.precolumbianweapons.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2008 . Retrieved 17 January 2022.

The various types of the assegai (a light spear or javelin made of wood and pointed with iron or fire-hardened tip) were used throughout Africa and it was the most common weapon used before the introduction of firearms. The Zulu, Xhosa and other Nguni tribes of South Africa were renowned for their use of the assegai. The Rajputs wielded a type of spear for infantrymen which had a club integrated into the spearhead, and a pointed butt end. Other spears had forked blades, several spear-points, and numerous other innovations. One particular spear unique to India was the vita or corded lance. The spear is the main weapon of the warriors of Homer's Iliad. The use of both a single thrusting spear and two throwing spears are mentioned. It has been suggested that two styles of combat are being described; an early style, with thrusting spears, dating to the Mycenaean period in which the Iliad is set, and, anachronistically, a later style, with throwing spears, from Homer's own Archaic period. [11]

In the early Shang, the Mao appeared to have a relatively short shaft as well as a relatively narrow shaft as opposed to Mao in the later Shang and Western Zhou period. Some Mao from this era are heavily decorated as is evidenced by a Warring States period Mao from the Ba Shu area. [41] Sikh Nihangs sometimes carry a spear even today. Spears were used in conflicts and training by armed paramilitary units such as the razakars of Nizams of Hyderabad State as late as the second half of the 20th century. In Norse mythology, the god Odin's spear (named Gungnir) was made by the sons of Ivaldi. It had the special property that it never missed its mark. During the War with the Vanir, Odin symbolically threw Gungnir into the Vanir host. This practice of symbolically casting a spear into the enemy ranks at the start of a fight was sometimes used in historic clashes, to seek Odin's support in the coming battle. [63] In Wagner's opera Siegfried, the haft of Gungnir is said to be from the "World-Tree" Yggdrasil. [64] Sir James George Frazer in The Golden Bough [67] noted the phallic nature of the spear and suggested that in the Arthurian legends the spear or lance functioned as a symbol of male fertility, paired with the Grail (as a symbol of female fertility). Bishop, M.C.; Coulston, J.C. (1989). Roman Military Equipment. Princes Risborough: Shire Publications. ISBN 978-0-7478-0005-7.