The sword is a melee weapon with a relatively long blade. The blade of the sword is more often sharp on both sides, but sometimes only on one. Swords were the main and most common weapons used from the Bronze Age to the end of the Middle Ages. The Bronze Age is considered to be the period in which people first began to produce weapons with longer blades, and this was associated with the development of equestrian combat techniques - it was more difficult to reach the enemy from the back of a horse with a shorter blade , and with a longer blade, it will be harder for the enemy to reach the rider. The first swords were practically daggers and daggers made with longer blades than before. After the creation of the first iron weapons, they quickly replaced the bronze ones. During the early Middle Ages, spath-like swords remained the primary weapon in use in Europe. A characteristic change in weapons is the appearance of a real guard, which is intended to protect one's hand from slipping the opponent's weapon. Swords gradually became longer and some of them were adapted for two-handed use. In contrast to European weapons, which are double-edged for the most part, in China and in general in the eastern parts of Asia, swords with one sharp side of the blade occupy the main place. These weapons are modeled after the Chinese Dao sword. In China, as well as in the surrounding countries, many Dao-like swords were created, the most important common feature among them being the single-edged straight blade.