Avar-Age Polearms and Edged Weapons. Classification, Typology, Chronology and Technology

(Nandana) #1

338 CHAPTER 6


their original dating was either too early233 or too broad.234 The function of the


wings was first identified as a support to hinder deep penetration of the blade


into a wound.235


Paul Reinecke was the first to distinguish hooked spearheads and spear-


heads with socket-mounts (Hakenlanze or Lanzen mit Aufhalter) from winged


spearheads. According to his observations hooked spearheads are dated to the


Late Merovingian period, while winged spearheads never occur in Merovingian


burials, and are instead dated to the Carolingian period. According to his


opinion these spears were of Frankish origin and manufactured in Rhenish


workshops.236 In contrast, Gessler’s research first used only written and visual


sources for his study of winged spearheads.237 However, Petersen’s work is one


of the standards for the study of both double-edged swords and winged spear-


heads, dividing the Scandinavian winged spearheads into B, C and D types,


with B and D types being Carolingian imports.238 M. Ellehauge considered the


spearheads decorated with hemispherical headed rivets on their socket as the


predecessors of these winged spears. He interpreted the wings as a crossguard


or supporter, and interpretated them as hunter’s spears.239


Peter Paulsen tried to find a link between the spearheads with socket-mounts


from the Merovingian period and the Carolingian winged spears, and identied


their function as flagged spears.240 He continued his research with a study of


winged spearheads and the Holy Lance of the German-Roman Empire.241


A catalogue of the winged spearheads from the Netherlands was made by


Jaap Ypey. He mainly concentrated on questions of pattern welding, and sug-


gested that most winged spearheads were originally pattern welded.242 The


hooked spearheads (‘Hakenlanzenspitze’) were catalogued and analysed by


Ursula Koch.243 The most recent study of winged spearheads in Germany was


233 Köhler (1897, 219) dated them to the 6–7th century based on their Merovingian burial
context.
234 Much (1898, 139) dated them to between the 3rd and 13th century.
235 Much 1898, 138.
236 Reinecke 1899, 37–38.
237 According to his theory the wings of these spearheads were used for hanging packs on it
(Gessler 1908, 45).
238 Petersen 1919, 23–26.
239 Ellehauge 1948, 21–22.
240 Paulsen 1967a; Paulsen 1967b.
241 Paulsen 1969, 289–312.
242 Ypey 1982a, 241–267.
243 Koch dated this type to the Late Merovingian period. (Koch 1982, 40–44).

Free download pdf