Why so long iron tang?
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Rapsod
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Why so long iron tang?
Why this chinese arrowheads does have so long tangs? Is this have something with arrow spin? I know the structure of bamboo arrow shafts but it is interesting why iron. Why not piece of hard wood? Metal is very precious, especialy iron, in that times I supose?
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Romain
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Stephen Selby
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It is true that both in the iron age, and even in the Bronze Age when bronze was a very valuable commodity, it was quite common for arrowheads to have long tangs.
The arrowheads in the tomb of Duke Yi of Zeng (Warring startes) had short tangs and bamboo sfahts were preserved, with a length ranging between 76 - 71cms.
Certainly the structure of bamboo and the need for weight in front of the arrow were both considerations.
Perhaps some of the arrowheads with the longest tangs were used in short arrows for crossbows, with little or no fletching. The extreme forces when a strong crossbow is released perhaps required that the whole length of the arrow or quarrel needed a material like bronze.
The arrowheads in the tomb of Duke Yi of Zeng (Warring startes) had short tangs and bamboo sfahts were preserved, with a length ranging between 76 - 71cms.
Certainly the structure of bamboo and the need for weight in front of the arrow were both considerations.
Perhaps some of the arrowheads with the longest tangs were used in short arrows for crossbows, with little or no fletching. The extreme forces when a strong crossbow is released perhaps required that the whole length of the arrow or quarrel needed a material like bronze.
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BMGeisler
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RE: Tang Length
I've been thinking on the long-tang business and have concluded that it has something to do with arrow stiffness. Bamboo arrows of a reasonable arrow diameter (3/8" or less) are of a limited weight and stiffness. The longer an arrow is drawn the softer the arrow's spine becomes; even a stiff arrow pulled to a 30+ " draw length and shot from a heavy bow will fly like a noodle.
However, by using a tanged arrow head the effective flexible length of the shaft is reduced (by the length of the tang). This reduction in length increases the spine of the arrow (provided that the increase in tip weight isn't too dramatic) allowing bamboo arrows to be shot accurately even when drawn to long lengths and used with heavy bows.
However, by using a tanged arrow head the effective flexible length of the shaft is reduced (by the length of the tang). This reduction in length increases the spine of the arrow (provided that the increase in tip weight isn't too dramatic) allowing bamboo arrows to be shot accurately even when drawn to long lengths and used with heavy bows.