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Tanged Iron Arrowheads
#1
This is in answer to Sajid's request for examples of iron arrowheads with a tang. The photographs show three styles of trilobate heads, all pictured alongside a 3-inch ruler (so you will have to convert to centimeters). These were collected out of context by individuals using metal detectors, so it's difficult telling who made them. I have smaller examples, but they appear to be Scythian or Saka and made for the smaller (shorter) bows without siyahs (ears); they were not photographed. These examples are larger, used with the "Hunnic"-styled bow. They were used from the 2nd to 5th centuries by the Sarmatians, Alans, and Romans.

It's 15 degrees below zero here in Maine, so I froze my hands while taking these pictures. Confused

   
These are elongated trilobates. They would be either Roman or Sarmatian/Alan. The tangs have deteriorated, so they would have been slightly longer.

   
Here we have "broadheads." Although trilobated, they are wider and shorter. This gives roughly the same weight to the head as found in the elongated version. Again, they were probably used by Romans or "barbarians."

   
I'm skeptical about these heads. They are larger/heavier. Very possibly, they are medieval and were used with longbows. I don't know much about medieval heads, but again these are trilobated.

Heavier arrow-points cut down on the distance an arrow would travel. The last-pictured heads were possibly used by the Romans for close-shooting, but I doubt they were employed for a "shower of arrows." The Alans and Sarmatians pinpointed individual targets, so the latter could be barbarian.
Alan J. Campbell

member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians

Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)

"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
             Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
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#2
The larger arrowheads are not medieval - pretty much all arrows in Europe during that time used socketed arrowheads. The larger heads in the above photo are more likely to be from javelins. Many of the larger arrowheads described in archaeological reports are more likely to be javelin heads.
Author: Bronze Age Military Equipment, Pen & Sword Books
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#3
Thanks, Dan

The idea of these larger versions being javelin heads makes sense. The whole idea of keeping your point as light as possible gives greater distance, and these heads could only be used for "short shots." They were included as trilobed examples, but I was skeptical of their origin and use. Smile

I might add that the elongated version (top photo) had the greatest penetration, better than the "broadhead." However, both styles caused bleeding almost impossible to stop. I would imagine the wounded person would die of infection within a week.
Alan J. Campbell

member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians

Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)

"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
             Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
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#4
I have reservations about the heads pictured in the bottom photo. Dan believes they are javelin heads. However, the actual head-size, not counting the tang, is incredibly small for a hand-thrown javelin or pilum-sized weapon. Maybe we need a second opinion, no offense to Dan. Wink
Alan J. Campbell

member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians

Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)

"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
             Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
Reply
#5
More iron arrowheads were excavated at that Lydian site and discussed at the conference on Iranian studies in St. Petersburg which I blogged about. Iron Kimmerian and Akkadian arrowheads also appear in documents from Babylonia alongside bronze ones (but the former are probably socketed trilobates). There are a variety of iron arrowheads in the Oriental Institute Publications volume on the treasury at Persepolis; it is now free to download.

(01-15-2016, 09:02 PM)Dan Howard Wrote: The larger arrowheads are not medieval - pretty much all arrows in Europe during that time used socketed arrowheads. The larger heads in the above photo are more likely to be from javelins. Many of the larger arrowheads described in archaeological reports are more likely to be javelin heads.
Careful archaeologists seem to prefer terms like “projectile points.” That avoids claiming whether the projectiles were shot from a bow or hurled by hand.
Nullis in verba

I have not checked this forum frequently since 2013, but I hope that these old posts have some value. I now have a blog on books, swords, and the curious things humans do with them.
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