RomanArmyTalk

hi

does someone know whether there is something like an arrowhead guide or something?

thanks!

Comitatus' reconstruction Gallery shows several kinds of Arrowheads.

http://www.comitatus.net/gallerymissile.html

Robert Wimmers can make you ancient arrow heads and inform you as to their usage and how they were made.

Yeah, Robert Wimmers is a good bet for purchasing them.

Our own Caballo may be able to help you out as well.
Kevin

Yves already has several of my arrowheads, so he knows what I can do. But his question is a lot broader, I believe.

The Comitatis site shows a wide range of arrowheads, of which some look more Medieval to me, but then again there is a wide variation. I have never come across socketed trilobates, for example, all the ones I have seen have a barb. Then there are the socketed and barbed biblades and the socketed leafshapes (like small spearheads). The socketed or tanged bodkin point finishes the range of these most common types. The firecage is rare, I have never seen an original on display here on the continent, but if anyone has, please tell and if possible show. They may have been a localised invention made to fit a specific type of warfare, like setting alight a hillfort.

I think their firecage is based off the one found for a Roman Scorpio bolt, but I don't know the find or it's location. Someone with higher knowledge of such matters like Dr. Campbell could tell you.

indeed, all my arrowheads are wimmers made but i think it pretty interesting whether there would be a guide or something on it.

robert made a new website btw on which he explains some of his arrowheads he is selling which also taught me a great deal on them. there are still some issues though like the moonshaped arrowhead. i wonder whether it was already used in the ancient world? most examples i've seen are from medieval times.

i did not yet have time to look at the comitatus website in detail but it looks interesting though.

as for the firecage arrowhead, karen dixon made a drawing of such an arrowhead in her book 'the late roman army'. I can't check right now as it is on my office desk but i thought it was a scorpio bolt too.

The Solenarion was a fixed arrow-guide. Some suggest the Arcuballista or manuballista was as well, although I am more inclined to think they were crossbows.

Wow, that looks wierd :woot:

Quote:The Solenarion was a fixed arrow-guide.

I believe Yves meant a guide on arrows, a book, like that by Nabbefeld on shields and Miks on swords.

Quote:I think their firecage is based off the one found for a Roman Scorpio bolt, but I don't know the find or it's location. Someone with higher knowledge of such matters like Dr. Campbell could tell you.

Uncanny. Invoke me by name and I appear! :wink:

Incendiary arrowheads were found at the Antonine Wall fort of Bar Hill. They are normally thought to have been designed for a hand-bow (the garrison was an archer unit), but I can't think of any reason why they couldn't have been fitted to a ballista bolt (by the Antonine period, arrow-shooters are probably of cheiroballistra-type design, rather than scorpio/catapulta design).
[attachment=9284]RomanarrowheadBarHill.jpg[/attachment]

Quote:The Solenarion was a fixed arrow-guide. Some suggest the Arcuballista or manuballista was as well, although I am more inclined to think they were crossbows.

It wasn't just an arrow guide. It was invented to enable short darts to be shot from a regular bow. The shorter projectiles fly a lot faster and have a flatter trajectory than regular arrows.

Were structure of darts and arrows similar? There should be notch at the back of darts to be able to shoot from bows. Was that so?

Quote:

The Solenarion was a fixed arrow-guide. Some suggest the Arcuballista or manuballista was as well, although I am more inclined to think they were crossbows.

This technique is incredibly close to the ancient Korean use of the "baby arrow." For a great movie on the use of the composite bow and this arrow, see the film War of the Arrows (2011, Korean) mile: