Great stuff, Kiskadee!! Absolutely right that swords have hogged all the
glory. Spears have always varied dramatically in shape and size from
culture to culture, and even within any particular military force. There
are some that we can conclude pretty firmly that they were meant for a
particular purpose, but in many cases there is no way to be sure if it was for
a footman or a cavalryman, for thrusting or throwing.
Those are some beauties you've posted! I've seen iron age or
medieval spearheads that are very similar to those bronze ones, though it's
often not a case of direct heritage or parallel evolution, could just be
coincidence.
My guess is that the long slim one, shown diagonally, is Anglo-Saxon
because of the split socket. Norse smiths usually preferred fully closed
sockets. Nice silver wire inlay on that socket, too!
The broader one at the bottom, hmm, could be Celtic, the bronze inlays
look familiar. Might be Frankish or something else, though.
To contribute to the cause:
http://www.larp.com/hoplite/weapons.html
shows a couple Greek types, very similar to many others.
http://www.larp.com/legioxx/sprhd.jpg
is a reproduction Roman spearhead, many of which were very quickly and crudely
made. Very orcish! Though orcs might prefer more wavy or spiky
blades.
Thanks for sharing, makes this hardware junky particularly
happy!
Matthew/Ugluk
http://www.larp.com/orcs/