There is, however, ample evidence of warfare in Tollan, and conquest doubtless played a major role in the city’s rise. Although not as populous as its predecessor imperial capital, Tollan was larger than any other city of its day ad enjoyed the advantage of new military technology and organization. Its primary innovation was a sword 50 centimetres (20 inch) in length, a curved wooden handle with obsidian blades along each edge. This short sword provided a much larger cutting surface than previous weapons and it did so with very little extra weight. Most previous weapons used entire stones fashioned into points and were essentially crushers, but the short sword substituted small blades that cold be glued into light wooden handles, relying on slashing for its effect.