Dan Snow's History Hit cover image

The Fall of the Aztec Empire

Dan Snow's History Hit

00:00

What's the Difference Between Guns and Steel Weapons?

Early sixteenth century firearms were not the decisive edge that would deliver this land into spanish control, no note at all. Rifles are centuries away from being invented. Pistols don't exist yet. These are very clunky weapons. The really huge cannons that europeans are beginning to deploy against each other, they're not part of this war yet. So i would take guns out of it. Steel, keep in it, germs is important. But really, if i just took im out germs and steel, we're missing so much of the human element and a complexity of that.

Play episode from 23:20
Transcript

The AI-powered Podcast Player

Save insights by tapping your headphones, chat with episodes, discover the best highlights - and more!
App store bannerPlay store banner
Get the app