Spearheads with facetted sockets

Typological Analysis of Weapons from Georgian Archaeological Sites of Classical Period (Spears, Battle-axes)

The article refers to typological analysis of iron weapons (spears and battle axes) of the Classical Period (from 5 th c.ury BC to 4 th c.ury AD.) found on the territory of Georgia. According to main characteristic features 8 types of spearheads were distinguished: 1. narrow-bladed (from 6 th to 3 rd c. BC.); 2. rhomboid-bladed (from 5 th to 3 rd c. BC., some examples existed in the 1 st c. BC.); 3. elongated triangular-bladed (from 5 th c. BC to 2 nd c. AD.); 4. with rounded shoulders (from 6 th-5 th cc. BC to 4 th c. AD.); 5. with rounded sides (mainly discovered in graves of west Georgia dating back to 6 th-4 th cc. BC.); 6. arrow-like were found in the burials of west Georgia dating to 5 th-4 th cc. BC.); 7. with stem (found at Sokhumi mt. graves # 4 and 9, (4 th-2 nd cc. BC.); 8. bayonet-like (5 th-3 rd cc. BC). Among battle axes 3 types are distinguished: 1. with a short, hammer like butt, oval hole for handle, prolonged blade with oval, asymmetrical, narrow cutting edge; 2. with a short, hammer-like butt, an oval hole for handle, the outlined shoulder for a handle, narrow neck, wide, asymmetrical, or symmetrical cutting edge; 3. "Bearded" battle-axes, which have long, distinctly outlined, or sometimes slightly noticeable, tubular socket for a shaft. The wide, assymetrical cutting edge expands to the lower corner .

During the investigations of Kohtla-Vanaküla, 140 spearheads or fragments of spearhead blades were collected. All spearheads from Kohtla are socketed and have a pointed-oval-shaped blade, only four examples are rhomboid. Based on radiocarbon dates the Kohtla spearheads most likely date from the Roman Iron Age. Kunda and Alulinna wealth deposits from northeastern Estonia contain spearhead assemblages most similar to the ones from Kohtla. The earliest finds of the main spearhead types found in Kohtla are known from Finnish Early Roman Iron Age contexts where this type prevails exclusively. The Finnish finds thus also correlate rather well with the dates obtained from Kohtla. The fact that Kohtla spearheads bear the greatest resemblance namely with finds from Virumaa province and coastal area of Finland indicates that they might come from these regions. However, the Kohtla spearheads are one of the earliest examples of such spearhead types in Estonia allowing to better refine the chronological distribution of this weapon type in the eastern Baltic. Additionally, we present the first metallographic analysis of a spearhead from this time period. The analysis shows that the spearhead was made out of homogeneous steel of good quality, whilst steel was used throughout the weapon and not only on the cutting edge. In comparison with the analysis of socketed axe from the same site, this might be seen as a testament to the higher status of weapons compared to tools.

2012

Гласник Српског археолошког друштва / Journal of Serbian Archaeological Society, 2016

The comparative paper refers to the 6th – 10th/11th century lances and javelins (or in other words spears) and harpoons from the territory of the Slovak Republic and Republic of Macedonia/FYROM. These two territories (during the given period) came into focus of the author in recent years from the archaeological as well as historical point of view. The author intends to deal on the one hand with typological, provenance and iconographical matters of the aforementioned arms, but on the other hand with evaluation of the finding units too. From present-day Macedonia the author of the paper just knows about four archaeological sites where the above mentioned arms were found. Most of them are hillforts. Also there is the fortified settlement of Виница-Кале concerning iconographical sources represented by terracotta relief plaques. Much more sites, more than 70, are located in Slovakia. They mainly consist of cemeteries. Typological forms of the thrusting pole arms, which were identified in both territories, are the following: a spearhead with a triangular blade, spearhead with an elliptical blade, spearhead with round extended edges in the lower part of its blade, spearhead with two barbs, and hooked lance head.

The contribution presents three stray finds of iron spearheads with decorated blades; one from Britof near Kranj and the other two from the riverbed of the Ljubljanica in the western part of the Ljubljansko barje (Slovenia). The spearhead from Britof has close parallels in Pomerania and the Scandinavian Baltic Isles, indicating its most probable origin in the area inhabited by the ‘East Germanic’ cultural groups of the late pre-Roman Iron Age. The two spearheads from the Ljubljanica also rank among rare forms, with parallels known across wide regions between the south-western edges of the Alps and the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. Both are most likely local ‘Celtic’ products, with decoration again close to that on spearheads from the ‘Germanic’ milieu. These exceptional artefacts might perhaps be associated with the movements of Germanic peoples between the late 2nd and the mid- 1st century BC.

Cercetări Arheologice, 28/1, p. 335-364, 2022

The referred article mostly classifies and subsequently embeds 18 medieval spear-, lance or javelin heads from the National Museum of Romanian History in Bucharest (Romania) in typology and chronology following the possible analogies. The discussed heads of throwing or thrusting pole arms are deposited in the medieval part of the depository concerning the Department of Archaeology of the aforementioned museum. Up to 61.1% of these heads is deficient of any information about their archaeological contexts. The rest most likely originated in the territory of present-day Romania. Except from two incomplete heads with fragments of their blades the examined assemblage can be divided into 7 categories or groups. The first category belongs to the thrusting heads/spikes whose sockets are wider than their blades. Heads of the remaining 6 groups have got blades wider than their sockets. The examined assemblage could be dated to the Middle Ages (the 6th – 16th centuries), then the usage of some of them might have also anteceded or exceeded the Middle Ages (to Prehistory, the Roman Period, Great Migration Period, and Modern Period), or it is not possible to date them (1 pc).