The Mace is an ancient weapon common to many cultures. With slight variations in design and construction, it served for centuries in the European military context. Even as late as the First World War, fighting men recognized the value of the weapon for quiet, brutal raids on enemy trenches. The mace's chief advantage is that it need not breech an opponent's armour to be effective ( unlike many edged weapons ). Its mass, concentrated at the end of a wooden or metal shaft, can injure and stun simply by blunt force. An unarmoured opponent might be debilitated by shattered limbs or a crushed skull, and might even be killed outright.
Mace was a symbol of royalty and justice is one of the most ancient weapons which was used even till World War I. An effective weapon in close combat, it could even smash through armors. Apart from being used by the soldiers, it was mounted as well on foot warriors.Though maces are weapons, Scottish maces are musical instruments. Available in varied shapes, they were not generally spiked. The hafts had a chain winding that had to be adjusted for use. They were the instruments of war time music and are still used for the purpose.
Now, used mainly for decorative purposes, maces are perfect symbol of ancient military weaponry. Materials used mostly for their production were stone, copper, bronze, iron, steel.Whereas the design part is concerned, these maces would come in distinct & interesting designs. Such as the ones used by soldiers on foot were about two to three feet in length, while the ones used by cavalrymen were longer in length & displayed designs perfect for blows from horseback.
