The BOM describes a civilization at war. Weapons named: swords (causing severed arms and heads), cimeters (curved blades, distinct from swords), bows and arrows, slings, clubs. Defensive equipment: thick clothing armor, arm-shields, breastplates, head-plates. Fortifications: Captain Moroni's system of ditches, earthen ridges from excavated dirt, and timber palisades with towers (Alma 49-53). Warfare scale: armies of tens of thousands, culminating in 230,000+ dead at Cumorah. Military organization: captains, chief captains, strategic campaigns, formal military hierarchy.
Swords are the BOM's primary weapon. They cause severed limbs (Alma 17:37-38, 44:12-13) and "rust" (Mosiah 8:11, implying ferrous metal).
| Model | Score | Justification |
|---|---|---|
| Mesoamerican | 2 | The macuahuitl (obsidian-edged wooden club/sword) was devastating: Spanish accounts confirm it could decapitate a horse. But it is not a metal sword and cannot "rust." Score 2 for a functional sword-analogue that requires loan-shifting the material. |
| Heartland | 0 | No swords or sword-analogues. Stone and bone tools only. |
| Malay | 3 | Metal swords present: the kris (dagger/short sword) tradition, though the classic kris is later. Iron and bronze bladed weapons were used in the Iron Age of mainland SE Asia. Indian sword traditions influenced the region. |
| Baja | 0 | No swords. |
| Panama | 1 | Some stone/wooden clubs but no metal swords. |
| Mexican Highland | 2 | Same as Mesoamerican (macuahuitl). |
| South India | 4 | Metal swords were central to Sangam warfare. The val (sword) appears throughout Sangam battle poetry. Iron and steel swords could sever limbs and would rust. The Arthashastra classifies sword types. Wootz steel blades were the finest in the ancient world. The BOM's description of swords causing dismemberment and rusting matches South Indian iron/steel sword warfare precisely. |
"Cimeters" are named alongside swords as a distinct weapon (Alma 27:29, 44:8; Enos 1:20). A cimeter is a curved blade.
| Model | Score | Justification |
|---|---|---|
| Mesoamerican | 0 | No curved bladed weapons. The macuahuitl is straight-edged. |
| Heartland | 0 | No bladed weapons. |
| Malay | 3 | The kris can be wavy-bladed (a form of curved). The dha (Burmese/Thai sword) has a curved profile. Curved blades are part of the SE Asian weapons tradition. Indian-influenced curved swords also present. |
| Baja | 0 | No weapons of this type. |
| Panama | 0 | No curved blades. |
| Mexican Highland | 0 | No curved blades. |
| South India | 4 | Curved swords were native to Indian warfare. The aruval (billhook/curved blade), the talwar (curved sword, though the classic form develops later), and various curved cutting weapons appear in Indian martial traditions. The urumi (flexible sword) is uniquely South Indian. Sangam literature describes diverse blade types. The BOM's distinction between "swords" (straight) and "cimeters" (curved) maps onto the Indian arsenal, which included both. |
Bows and arrows appear throughout the BOM (1 Nephi 16:15-23; Alma 49:4, 19-22).
| Model | Score | Justification |
|---|---|---|
| Mesoamerican | 4 | Bow and arrow widely used, especially after adoption from northern cultures. Atlatl (spear-thrower) was also prominent. |
| Heartland | 4 | Bow and arrow was the primary projectile weapon of eastern North American cultures. |
| Malay | 4 | Bows used throughout SE Asia. Blowguns also present. |
| Baja | 3 | Bow and arrow used by indigenous groups. |
| Panama | 3 | Bows and arrows used. |
| Mexican Highland | 4 | Same as Mesoamerican. |
| South India | 4 | Bow (vil) was a premier weapon; the Sangam Chera, Chola, and Pandya dynasties all had bowmen. Archery was a martial art. The Arthashastra discusses bow types and training. |
Slings appear as military weapons (Alma 49:19-22; Mosiah 9:16).
| Model | Score | Justification |
|---|---|---|
| Mesoamerican | 3 | Slings used in Mesoamerican warfare. Less prominent than atlatl but attested. |
| Heartland | 2 | Some sling use attested but not a primary weapon. |
| Malay | 2 | Slings present but not a signature weapon of the region. |
| Baja | 1 | Some sling use. |
| Panama | 2 | Slings used. |
| Mexican Highland | 3 | Same as Mesoamerican. |
| South India | 4 | The sling (kaval) was an important weapon in Sangam warfare. Sling-warriors appear in Sangam battle descriptions. The Arthashastra lists slings among military equipment. South Indian tribal warriors were particularly skilled slingers. |
Clubs and maces appear alongside swords and cimeters (Alma 43:37; Mosiah 9:16).
| Model | Score | Justification |
|---|---|---|
| Mesoamerican | 4 | Clubs were primary weapons. The macuahuitl itself is a club variant. Stone mace heads attested. |
| Heartland | 3 | Stone mace heads and wooden clubs used. Hopewell copper celts. |
| Malay | 3 | Various club and mace weapons in SE Asian arsenals. |
| Baja | 2 | Wooden clubs used. |
| Panama | 3 | Clubs and mace-like weapons used. |
| Mexican Highland | 4 | Same as Mesoamerican. |
| South India | 4 | The gada (mace) was a prominent weapon in Indian warfare, featured in epic literature and the Arthashastra. Various club types attested. |