[Jared Lambert]

I recently have become very interested in spears and was wondering about what time spears started having lugs on them such as those on boar spears.
Thank you

[David Huggins]

Hi Jared

Certainly the Frankish princely greaves from Krefeld Gellup contain lugged spears, and boar hunting scenes depicted .
on Romano mosaics also show lugged spears .

In general it appears in an Anglo-Saxon context in the 9th C. perhaps influenced by Viking incursions. Some times it is referred to as the Carolingian spear as this is the period it appears to proliferate in the archeological record.

Interestingly their are other examples of lugged spear heads, which it is believed had neither any thing to do with hunting or direct use as a weapon but as vexillum standards, the lugs spreading the cords of the horizontal bar from which the vexillum hung.

Such finds including silk remnants from such a vexillum where recently made during excavations in the Palatine Hills of Rome, and it has been suggested as the praetorian Guard of the period was composed of Germanic recruits that such vexillum standards may have been introduced from Germanic use. This would not be unusual as the Romans also borrowed the draco standards from other previous enemies.

best
Dave

[Jared Lambert]

Thank you for the info David I didn't think they were around so early but that's awesome.