I'm just doing a bit of research into the 'medieval' kingdoms of east Africa (as you do!) and came across  repeated references (in modern wargames army lists) to an infantry weapon called a Dembus. It is invariably classified as a 'Heavy Cutting Weapon' (like an axe) in most rules sets.

However, when digging a bit deeper it appears that the word 'Dembus' actually means 'an Axumite or Ethiopian Dembus (or stele) is a massive, pre-Christian monolithic granite pillar serving as a royal tomb marker, typically carved to resemble a multi-story building. They are characterized by vertical, skyscraper-like styling featuring false doors at the base, layered windows, and a semi-circular top, standing up to 33 meters tall (from a UNESCO website).

So, could it be some that the Dembus in this context is sort of 'staff' (or mace) maybe of metal, wielded in 2 hands? Or is this just more 'wargames list writers' mumbo-jumbo!

There are Axumite bronze crescent blades that have been found, but not in a military context (so they could just as easily be agricultural implements) and these do not appear in any of the carved stele or even the embroidered cloth fragments, which do show Axumite and Blemmye/Nubian auxiliary troops (fighting the Sassanids in the Yemen).

Any thoughts folks?
Cheers
Mark

Internet searches point almost exclusively to the DBM(M) army lists.
Which say:

The Dembus is described as an iron mace, staff or club.

The troops are Bd(x) - special anti-cavalry foot troops, I thnk.


Many armies developed specialist counter-measures to heavy enemy mounted troops.
There are regular spears, pikes, pits and stakes.
But specific weapons were sometimes issued to dedicated troops.
These take two main forms:

A very heavy club to concuss the most heavily armoured: 
Samurai Era Kanabo/Tetsubo, Low Country Goedendag, Palestinian Clubmen, Indian mythical? Heroes...
Warhammers, Pollaxes and Flails are also available.

A very sturdy spear to withstand the shock of impact: 
Byzantines and several Italian city states had these, Several Chinese armies.
Fantasy players may recall Mel Gibson's Braveheart lads.

Bd(X) better suits the club version.


I'll close by observing that weapons are often compared with larger items
Your guardsmen might compare their extra heavy clubs, to a local monolith.

Yes, it appears in the DBA lists and has therefore replicated its way into FoGA&M & ADLG and possibly MEG (not that I can confirm that) and therefore probably DBM and DBMM as well.
But finding a primary academic or historical source is proving to be a real challenge.
In fact, there appear to be no references to 'mace' or iron staff type weapons in East Africa at this era or earlier (or even later for that matter).
Sadly, as the primary author of the original DBA lists is no longer communicating, I'll ask the same question on the Society of Ancients forum, as that often solicits some info, at least on where this idea might have come from.
On line, there are various views that it is actually an 'adze' type implement - but again this appears to be pure supposition with no historical or archeological foundation.

So this might just be yet another 'wargames' myth       

The goedendag seems to have been a bladed weapon, if you trust Heath.

This reminded me that I have the venerable Palladium Compendium of Weapons, Armour and Castles.

If has Godendag - A Flemish halberd like weapon. there is a drawing later - which looks remarkably like a halberd...

Dembus is not listed

I remembered this for its huge lists of weapons, but had forgotten the armour and castles components of it, so will pursue further.

QuoteYes, it appears in the DBA lists and has therefore replicated its way into FoGA&M & ADLG and possibly MEG (not that I can confirm that) and therefore probably DBM and DBMM as well.
But finding a primary academic or historical source is proving to be a real challenge.
In fact, there appear to be no references to 'mace' or iron staff type weapons in East Africa at this era or earlier (or even later for that matter).
Sadly, as the primary author of the original DBA lists is no longer communicating, I'll ask the same question on the Society of Ancients forum, as that often solicits some info, at least on where this idea might have come from.
On line, there are various views that it is actually an 'adze' type implement - but again this appears to be pure supposition with no historical or archeological foundation.

So this might just be yet another 'wargames' myth       

Ancients rules authors copying each others homework.

Quote from: FierceKitty on 23 March 2026, 06:30:24 PMThe goedendag seems to have been a bladed weapon, if you trust Heath.

We (supposedly) have an actual image of a 'goedendag' from a stained-glass window in church in Bruges (all be it a C19th reconstruction of a damaged medieval window) - it is being carried by a Flemish militiaman, who is wearing a rounded pot helm, bi-coloured surcoat and short sleeved, thigh-length mail shirt. He also carried a heater shield with 3 escutcheons on it with arms of his guild. The 'goedendag' is clearly not 'bladed' but is a wooden club, about 3 to 4 feet in length, wider at the top than the bottom, and the top is flat and is encased in metal and has what looks like a single long metal spike sticking up out of the center of it. Making it ideal for crushing armour and then 'stabbing' the floundering knight with the long metal spike!
 
Interestingly we see similar clubs, of exactly the same construction, right down to the exact proportions and the metal head and spike, being wielded (overhead in two hands) each by a pair of Hindu temple guardians (Dvarapalas) on the reliefs at the Khmer temple at The Bayon (carved in the C12th). Dvarapalas are traditionally armed with clubs of various types. I am not aware of any other images of clubs like this.  NB: this is not an indication that the Khmer used them - as a lot of the religious or mythical imagery in the carvings are based upon earlier Indian influences.

I'll keep you posted as my enquiries progress.

Quote from: steve_holmes_11 on 23 March 2026, 09:51:13 PMAncients rules authors copying each others homework.

Now there's a surprise (not)     

Quote from: Big Insect on 23 March 2026, 10:04:50 PMWe (supposedly) have an actual image of a 'goedendag' from a stained-glass window in church in Bruges (all be it a C19th reconstruction of a damaged medieval window) - it is being carried by a Flemish militiaman, who is wearing a rounded pot helm, bi-coloured surcoat and short sleeved, thigh-length mail shirt. He also carried a heater shield with 3 escutcheons on it with arms of his guild. The 'goedendag' is clearly not 'bladed' but is a wooden club, about 3 to 4 feet in length, wider at the top than the bottom, and the top is flat and is encased in metal and has what looks like a single long metal spike sticking up out of the center of it. Making it ideal for crushing armour and then 'stabbing' the floundering knight with the long metal spike!
 
Interestingly we see similar clubs, of exactly the same construction, right down to the exact proportions and the metal head and spike, being wielded (overhead in two hands) each by a pair of Hindu temple guardians (Dvarapalas) on the reliefs at the Khmer temple at The Bayon (carved in the C12th). Dvarapalas are traditionally armed with clubs of various types. I am not aware of any other images of clubs like this.  NB: this is not an indication that the Khmer used them - as a lot of the religious or mythical imagery in the carvings are based upon earlier Indian influences.

I'll keep you posted as my enquiries progress.

Is it captioned? I don't think anyone questions the existence of the chandelier weapon you describe; I can even see why it appears to have been banned at times.

You been asking the Society of Ancients too?
https://forum.soa.org.uk/index.php?topic=10648.0

Couldn't find much on Axumite clubs, but Ethiopia has a good scene:
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g293790-Activities-c20-Ethiopia.html







Ohh look, a prechewed coat

QuoteYou been asking the Society of Ancients too?
https://forum.soa.org.uk/index.php?topic=10648.0

And ... I have an answer from the SOA forum regarding the Dembus:

David Nicolle's article "The Dembus" (Slingshot #169, September 1993) identifies the iron staff/mace as a key, religiously associated weapon used in the Horn of Africa post-896 AD, arguing it reflects a blend of local and Islamic-influenced metalworking. Based on sources like the 16th-century Futuh al-Habasha and archaeological findings in the Lalibela region, the study details the weapon's use by both Ethiopian Highland and Adal Sultanate warriors.

In the 16th-century Futuh al-Habasha (translated by Paul Lester Stenhouse), the Dembus is described as a heavy iron staff or mace, often used by the Adal vanguard to break plate armor. It is characterized as a 3-4 foot solid iron rod with a slightly weighted head, with related iron mace components found in the Harar and Zeila regions.

The Futuh al-Habasha (The Conquest of Abyssinia) refers to the Dembus (alternatively spelled danbus, dambus, or dabbus) as a contemporary weapon used during the 16th-century wars (1529–1543). While the weapon has ancient roots in the Horn of Africa dating back to at least the 9th century, the text describes its use by the forces of Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi (Ahmad Grañ) and the Abyssinians at the time of the conflict.

Another Article from Slingshot (Society of Ancients)
This article, "The Armies of the Horn of Africa" (or similar title) is by Duncan Head, published in Slingshot around the early 1990s (possibly issue #154 or nearby).
Summary: The article discusses the unique military hardware of the medieval and early modern Horn, focusing on the transition from traditional melee weapons to the introduction of firearms. It highlights the Dembus as a specialized iron mace or weighted staff, often carried by elite infantry or cavalry.

Historical Reference Material: the article draws significantly from the Futuh al-Habasha and earlier accounts by Arab travelers (like Al-Masudi, c. 9th century) to establish the continuity of this weapon. Ir notes that the iron staff was a symbol of authority and a formidable anti-armour weapon in a region where quilted cloth and hide shields were common.

Wording in Futuh al-Habasha
In the English translation by Paul Lester Stenhouse (2003), the weapon is often referred to as an "iron mace" or "staff of iron." A typical reference describes the shock troops or leaders:
"They were armed with swords and staves of iron [dabbus]... and they fell upon the idolaters like lions."
Another specific reference mentions the Imam himself or his elite guards using it to crush the helmets or shields of the Christian Abyssinian knights. The Arabic term dabbus (دبوس) specifically denotes a mace or club, which in the Ethiopian context was frequently a long, thin iron rod with a weighted head.

Finds and Visuals
Actual archaeological finds of 16th-century Dembus are rare due to the high value and recycling of iron, but they are typologically related to the "liturgical staves" still seen in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Archaeological finds: While specific "Dembus" photos are scarce in general digital archives, you can find similar iron-weighted staves in the British Museum's African Collection or the Institute of Ethiopian Studies in Addis Ababa.
Drawings: The best visual representations are found in 16th-century Portuguese sketches of the war and later Ethiopian hagiographies, which depict warriors with long, thin staves topped with a small, heavy bulb or "onion" head.

So I think I have my answer.
Again, many thanks to Duncan Head, on the SoA Forum, for signposting me to this info.

(& those 'blob' ended pins* that retailers use to hold the folds of new shirts in place, whilst in their packets, should be ideal for converting 10-15mm figures into Dembus wielders)
Mark
* I just need to find a source to buy these - as I have enough shirts to last me a lifetime

Quote from: Duke Speedy of Leighton on 24 March 2026, 09:48:22 AMCouldn't find much on Axumite clubs, but Ethiopia has a good scene:
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g293790-Activities-c20-Ethiopia.html

Wrong sort of club - depending upon your views of course     







Ohh look, a prechewed coat

DBM focuses more on function than form.
This excerpt ought to clear everything up.

QuoteException (X):  Men armed with weapons specialised against heavily armoured mounted troops, such as the exceptionally heavy clubs wielded with both hands said to have been used by Aurelian's "Palestinians" and very doubtfully by Constantine I's legionaries against cataphracts, the Low Countries plançon, the Byzantine menaulion and Swiss halberds.

They are treated as (S) blades when in close combat with knights or (S) camelry to their front, and can be supported against these by a second rank element of (X) blades, also counting as (S). They can only support or be supported by (X) blades. If expressly required by their army list to be mounted on a double element base, they are treated as (O) blades when in close combat to their front with troops other than knights or (S) camelry. In all other circumstances, except for impetuosity [See P.19], they are treated as (F) blades.

Quote from: steve_holmes_11 on 24 March 2026, 11:55:42 AMDBM focuses more on function than form.
This excerpt ought to clear everything up.

Absolutely ... clear as ... well, DBM I suppose   
The main 'finding' out of al of this appears to be that the Auxmites never used it anyway, so I don't really have to 'worry' too much about it.
But thank you all for your company and contributions (no matter how diversionary) along the way in my journey of discovery.

Mark