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1065-1095 High Carbon - superior sharpening ability with good edge retention and great shock absorbsion, appropriate for larger knives and swords420 and 420HC Stainless Steel - good all-purpose stainless steel which is less expensive and softer to work, making it ideal when cost, workability and ease of maintenance are issues. Superior sharpenability, fair edge retention, fair corrosion resistance. Common for less expensive knives and sword...

A hoplites most important piece of equipment, and what gave the hoplite its name, is the hoplon, the shield (881004). The shield was made of overlapping planks of wood covered in leather, with the face of the shield covered completely in a thin sheet of bronze. This gave it incredible strength while at the same time not making it so heavy that it became unusable. Each shield was round and approximately 36 to 38 in diameter. Worn on the left arm,...

In 1565, Suleiman the Magnificent, Sultan of Turkey and Emperor of the Ottoman Empire, launched a flotilla of 200 Turkish ships carrying 40,000 fighting men with the intention of further domination of the Mediterranean Sea. In May of that year they laid siege to the small, vitally strategic island of Malta. The Christians consisted knights, local peasant soldiers and a few thousand Maltese soldiers. Jean de Valette was in command of the defense,...