Iron arrowhead

Arkan82 · Post by **Arkan82** » Thu Aug 26, 2010 8:27 am

Hi!

Is this a mongolian arrowhead ( golden hord ) or a arrowhead of viking age?

Thanky you very much!!

jack farrell · Post by **jack farrell** » Thu Aug 26, 2010 12:25 pm

I have seen well provinenced Mongol era points which would be consistent with yours. Could also be considerably earlier or later. Where it came from is also a clue to its era; for instance, a famous battle site.

Arkan82 · Post by **Arkan82** » Thu Aug 26, 2010 1:00 pm

I bought it in a antique shop.
It may be from east europe.

Dusan · Post by **Dusan** » Thu Aug 26, 2010 3:53 pm

Be carefull. Everywhere was many falsifikates especialy from metal and bronze .

Stephen Selby · Post by **Stephen Selby** » Fri Aug 27, 2010 1:58 am

I think it is genuine but not Asian. I think it may have been found in Europe. Medieval English, Flemish and French arrow heads were mostly socketed. So it may be from north-eastern or south-eastern Europe.

Arkan82 · Post by **Arkan82** » Fri Aug 27, 2010 8:13 am

It may be viking??

jack farrell · Post by **jack farrell** » Fri Aug 27, 2010 12:08 pm

I have not studied Viking points. Maybe someone else has this information.

Dusan; What you say about fake points is true. I myself have seen fake bronze points. But a fake point, or maybe a reproduction point made of iron would be another matter. If it was cast, this could be easily determined as a fake. If it were forged, that is hot hammered, it seems like it would be worth more as a reproduction point than as a fake.

At any rate, many old hot hammered, forged, items show a degree of difficulty of manufacture which would preclude their being imitation.

What do you say?

Arkan82 · Post by **Arkan82** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 9:27 am

it's 33 mm lenght

Dusan · Post by **Dusan** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 10:25 am

Jack , when i work like movie artist in our television i meat guy who doing replikas for Thrilers- every details from arrowheads to big tanks . His hobby was perfect archeologicals falsifikates from Antiquites shops

. He was wery happy if evan museum specialists buy his work... People like him live everyvhere

/Like this guy fron Holland and his Vermeer like paintings /I heard from mi Hungary friends that in todays Hungary was running big biznis vith bronze skitas, Avars and Huns replicas arrowheads...

Arkan82 · Post by **Arkan82** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 2:02 pm

do you have any idea??

Bede · Post by **Bede** » Tue Aug 31, 2010 7:02 am

Heads of this shape are common in the Middle East, but there are also some Late Roman ones in this style too. It is a case of form following function.

The English rarely used tanged arrowheads and not for bodkins at all. There are quite a few Viking tanged arrowheads and it might represent influence from trips to Constantinople or interactions with steppe tribes in Russia.

I cannot comment on its authenticity, but it is a generic armour-piercing head.

jack farrell · Post by **jack farrell** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 2:25 am

Arkan; Despite some objections made here, I have no doubt that your point is original and authentic. As Bede has indicated, it has a Central Asian connection. I like the small clip near the shoulder. I have not yet seen fakes which were hammer forged.

Near likenesses are seen in this collection entirely from Pakistan; the one in the upper right, for instance. Though it is possible that all these were recovered from a single battlefield, it is also possible that the collection spans 1000 years. The one with the X cross section is especially nice. Many have their points turned by striking a hard object.

Arkan82 · Post by **Arkan82** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 1:16 pm

Thank you very much!

Of what era are the arrowheads of the picture?

Stephen Selby · Post by **Stephen Selby** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 1:06 am

Of those in the photo that appear to be Chinese/Mongolian, there's a range of almost 900 years.

jack farrell · Post by **jack farrell** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 2:30 am

Stephen has seen more points than I ever thought of seeing. Still, I will make some observations.

The X cross section one in the center first appeared in Central Asia in the middle of the first millennium and became rare toward the end of the millennium. The little bullet point, third from upper left, I have seen in several second millennium collections through the Mughal period. It is not a flight point but a war point as attested to the fact that they are recovered from battlefields along side more typical types.

The three lobed point, next to upper left is seen in the first centuries CE and becomes less common yet persists through Mongol period. Mongols and others preferred points with shoulders, that is, the tang will abut a flat place which will prevent the point from driving into the shaft. But this is also not universal, like the fourth down from upper right.

The diamond shape point is very Mongol but persists till the end of military archery in China.

Generally these points are but a fraction of the size their Mongolian/ Chinese equivalents. The long X point is only 65mm. Some premier points may be missing. How to generalize from a commercial collection?

One of these may not even be an arrow point.