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Spear Thrust
A spear is typically made up of a wood shaft and a sharp, pointed head. In the Middle Ages, the spear evolved and started using iron and steel heads that were made by blacksmiths. A spear could be used as a thrusting weapon or as a missile. The spears were commonly used because they were economically cheap to make because they did not require a lot of metal, and spears did not require a very skilled blacksmith to make them. Another addition made to the spear throughout the Middle Ages was the addition of a langet. A langet was a metal strip that connected the head to the shaft. It reinforced the torque against the head and provided protection to the weak point between the head and the shaft.
The thrusting spear had an advantage of reach; the shaft was typically six to eight feet long. In battle, the spear was typically used by a foot soldier since it was cheap to make and did not require a lot of training or technique to use. If the hunter or soldier was on a horse, the most efficient thrust "should clasp [the spear] tightly to his side with his hand and his forearm, and let his horse do what it does in such a situation. For if he should move his hand with the spear or extend out with it, then his thrust will have no effect and do no damage" (Munqidh 52). If the hunter was on foot, the best technique was to deliver a firm and powerful thrust by using the left hand to steady the spear and the right hand to drive it.
The picture below is a floor mosaic built in a Roman villa near Merida, Spain. It depicts a hunter killing a wild boar using a spear thrust. Often in hunting expeditions, hunting dogs round up the animal and help trap them. Then there would be multiple archers who shoot the boar. Finally, hunters would come and spear the animal until it finally dies.
The spear influenced modern weapons including, the lance, the halberd, the bill, the pike, and the bayonet (Spears).
Citations:
Munqidh, Usama Ibn, and Paul M. Cobb. The Book of Contemplation: Islam and the Crusades. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.
International, American. "Medieval Weapons." Medieval Weapons. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2017. <http://www.medievalwarfare.info/weapons.htm#spears>.
"Spears." Spears. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2017. <http://www.lordsandladies.org/spears.htm>.
The thrusting spear had an advantage of reach; the shaft was typically six to eight feet long. In battle, the spear was typically used by a foot soldier since it was cheap to make and did not require a lot of training or technique to use. If the hunter or soldier was on a horse, the most efficient thrust "should clasp [the spear] tightly to his side with his hand and his forearm, and let his horse do what it does in such a situation. For if he should move his hand with the spear or extend out with it, then his thrust will have no effect and do no damage" (Munqidh 52). If the hunter was on foot, the best technique was to deliver a firm and powerful thrust by using the left hand to steady the spear and the right hand to drive it.
The picture below is a floor mosaic built in a Roman villa near Merida, Spain. It depicts a hunter killing a wild boar using a spear thrust. Often in hunting expeditions, hunting dogs round up the animal and help trap them. Then there would be multiple archers who shoot the boar. Finally, hunters would come and spear the animal until it finally dies.
The spear influenced modern weapons including, the lance, the halberd, the bill, the pike, and the bayonet (Spears).
Citations:
Munqidh, Usama Ibn, and Paul M. Cobb. The Book of Contemplation: Islam and the Crusades. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.
International, American. "Medieval Weapons." Medieval Weapons. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2017. <http://www.medievalwarfare.info/weapons.htm#spears>.
"Spears." Spears. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2017. <http://www.lordsandladies.org/spears.htm>.