The book by K. V. Asmolov, a graduate student at the Institute of Asian and African Countries at Moscow State University - a military historian and orientalist, makes an attempt to trace the formation and development of edged weapons and techniques. Using broad historical and ethnographic material, the author explores the design, functional features and techniques of using various types of edged weapons of the East and West in various historical periods, both in military and martial arts. The author introduced the principles of classification of edged weapons and the main types of strikes, common for various types of weapons. The history of edged weapons is considered in the context of the combat warfare system (SVBD) - a complex method of military-historical analysis developed by K. V. Asmolov. The book is equipped with a large number of illustrations depicting both the weapon itself and the characteristic techniques of working with it or short complexes containing the basic technology, and is intended for both specialists and a wide range of readers.