Celtic,openwork spearheads -- myArmoury.com

Waldemar Duszka · Posted: Fri 10 Aug, 2012 11:30 am Post subject: Celtic,openwork spearheads

This type, Celtic, openwork spearheads.
Looking for data: total length, sleeve length, width and diameter of the sleeve at the entrance, and most importantly no weight.
40-cm long, 7-8 cm long sleeve,8-10 cm-width (the widest part of spear), 20 mm hole at the entrance of the sleeve will be ........ just in time ...... weight ...... I think that between 300-400 grams.

Scott S. · Posted: Fri 10 Aug, 2012 11:58 am Post subject:

Ibor,

You sure that's Celtic? It looks kind of "Swiss" to me.
Sorry, couldn't resist. Happy

Graham Shearlaw · Posted: Fri 10 Aug, 2012 12:10 pm Post subject:

it looks to be about 2mm thick, so the holes may be to save weight.

Kurt Scholz · Posted: Fri 10 Aug, 2012 2:19 pm Post subject:

Any chance that these holes could produce a sound while the spear was thrown?
The attached spear shaft seems to have been very thin in comparison to the spearhead, is it a javelin?
Are there any chances that this weapon is from a feature that includes medical tools and high status markers? Usually taken as druid graves with weapons that rather served as iconic symbols.

Waldemar Duszka · Posted: Sat 11 Aug, 2012 3:44 am Post subject:

Scott, I'm sure this is a Celtic spear, probably from Germany, dated to the period of La Tene.
Kurt, I'm sure this is not a spear to hurl a spear ......... "works", throwing the javelin.
A sound may be able to spend .... and probably only when driving the chariot.
For sure it was a very ornate weapons, prestigious, which was only a warrior of high social standing.
Certainly not the holder of fighting it, "just like that" only weapon was a parade, commemorative.
Military Art of the Celts was a very "specific", packed with symbols of anthropomorphic decoration in general.
This is a subject about which river would you write, write, write

Waldemar Duszka · Posted: Sun 12 Aug, 2012 5:45 am Post subject:

one more .... and a spear, this type of .....

Ralph Grinly · Posted: Sun 12 Aug, 2012 2:57 pm Post subject:

They're certainly ornate - wish I could see them 'in the flesh" . I suspect something like this was mainly for some sort of "ceremonail' use..not realy as fighting weapons. The blades look far too big, in relation to the sockets. I doubt they would have stood up to being thrust, or thrown.

Waldemar Duszka · Posted: Mon 13 Aug, 2012 2:50 am Post subject:

Ralph, I agree with you about the fact that this type of spears were rather battle flags, ceremonial objects.
As for the sleeve is the size of 20 mm - 25 mm, a length of 50-60 cm spear, was the standard from the middle period of La Tene.
This type of lance head is on this figure,(nr. 9,10).
The whole is 60 cm in length and sleeve no more than 25 mm.
Feathers of such lance head byłu very thin, and the whole emphasis during the fight, the shot took over in the middle stall.
Celtic javelin bush had even less, very little from 10 mm to 15 mm 19 mm ..... it was great ....
Weapons in the early Celtic La Tene period was very delicate, finely executed.
Javelins, spears, knives, daggers were very thin and were destined for stinging.

William P · Posted: Mon 13 Aug, 2012 6:44 am Post subject:

well theres a line form one of the greek writers which supports the presence of those wavy spearheads although maybe not quite so big,
diodorus siculus said this on the celtic arms... the book seems to hint that the source is possibly "history, v, chapters 25-32 (greek)

Kurt Scholz · Posted: Mon 13 Aug, 2012 9:20 am Post subject:

Ralph Grinly · Posted: Mon 13 Aug, 2012 11:48 pm Post subject:

I doubt these ornate heads were ever meant to be thrown..at least not seriously. However..I *can* imagine they may have been thrown in a symbolic way to signal the start of combat. But I consider this a rather remote possibility..you don't put a lot of work..or relatively valuable metal , into something you are deliberately throwing away.

William P · Posted: Thu 16 Aug, 2012 12:43 am Post subject:

what about when just waved back and forth,

now i kknow this is hollywood effects talking here as well but, in oliver stones 'alexander' when the phalangites swing their sarissas back and forth at gaugamela, the result is a great and terrifying 'whooshing' noise. of the long poles whipping through the air in unison. sort of the same effect as when you swing a branch covered in leaves through the air..
but i have no idea if such a practice is confirmed in historical sources..

also in my book on the celts, polybius, describing the battle of telamon, also mentions that the celts in battle made a great deal of effort to seem as terrifying as possible

Waldemar Duszka · Posted: Fri 09 Nov, 2012 6:19 am Post subject:

Forged several spears (La Tene period), such relatively long and the customer wishes .... hardening
From what I know they were not hardened, but I could be wrong, maybe someone knows something about this?
Thanks in advance.
Ibor.
1.Total length javelin 41.5 cm, length of sleeves 26 cm, width of the leaf at its widest point 36 mm, bore 19 mm, weight 270 grams.

2.Spearhead, total length 44 cm, sleeve length 11 cm, width of the leaf at its widest point 37 mm, bore 16 mm, weight 270 grams.
3.Spearhead, total length 41.5 cm, length of sleeves 12 cm, width of the leaf at its widest point 38 mm, bore 19 mm, weight 240 grams.
4.Spearhead, total length 32 cm, sleeves 11 cm, width of the leaf at its widest point 42 mm, weight 240 grams.

Tom Tasker · Posted: Sat 10 Nov, 2012 2:25 am Post subject:

Jonathan Blair · Posted: Sat 10 Nov, 2012 9:35 am Post subject:

Scott Woodruff · Posted: Sun 11 Nov, 2012 10:06 am Post subject:

Those spearheads look great! La Tene weapons were usually work-hardened rather than quench-hardened, whether they were made from wrought iron or higher carbon steel. The La Tene smiths knew how to quench-harden steel and sometimes did so on knives and other small tools but apparently they did not know how to temper hardened steel so they did not quench weapons that needed to stand up to heavy use.

G Ezell · Industry Professional