For many centuries, one of the main weapons of the infantry and cavalry was the spear. The product of the simplest design made it possible to solve various problems and confidently defeat the enemy. The long history of such weapons has also contributed to the high potential in terms of modernization. The shape of the tip and the main parameters of the spear as a whole were constantly changing, increasing its fighting qualities and allowing it to remain in the army. Like all armies of their time, spears were also used by the squads of Ancient Rus.
It is known that the Slavs used pole-arms, including spears, from the earliest times. Already in the 6th-7th centuries, such weapons became the main means of a typical warrior. In the future, the spears were repeatedly modernized and improved, which allowed them to remain in service for many centuries. Due to this, a significant number of spearheads, which are valuable archaeological material, are still preserved in the cultural layer and in burials. Scientists regularly find them, and this allows you to correct the known data about the past.
Battle of Novgorod and Suzdal, 1170. Fragment of an icon from 1460. The guards of both cities are armed with spears. Drawing by Wikimedia Commons
It should be noted that the active study of Slavic and Old Russian copies began relatively recently - at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Prior to that, archaeologists and historians paid more attention to melee weapons or means of protection, while pole samples were hardly studied. However, at the beginning of the last century, the situation changed, and in just a few decades the gap in knowledge was filled. So, only by the mid-sixties, more than 750 copies from different regions were discovered and studied. Over the next half century, the number of found objects has grown significantly.
Finding the best
The gunsmiths and warriors of Ancient Russia - as well as their colleagues and rivals from other countries and regions - were constantly looking for new designs and variants of the spear that could provide an increase in combat characteristics. As a result, many designs have been introduced and tested in practice over several centuries. The new spears differed from the existing ones in the shape and size of the tip, the parameters of the shaft, etc.
As the study of archaeological finds, Soviet and Russian historians have long ago come to an interesting conclusion about the ways of development of the ancient Russian spear. It is believed that our ancestors did not focus on inventing completely new weapons designs. They preferred to study existing foreign samples and, if they had any advantages, adopt ready-made designs. In this regard, some ancient Russian spears resemble weapons from Western countries, while in others Eastern influence is visible.
Typology of Old Russian copies. Drawing from the book "Old Russian weapons. Issue 2"
However, there was also inventive activity. Apparently, it was in Russia that such a weapon as a spear, a special heavy spear with a reinforced tip, was invented and became widespread. At the time of the appearance of such weapons, its direct analogues were absent from other peoples. Moreover, in some foreign languages a modified Russian word is used to designate such a spear.
Thus, ancient Russian gunsmiths saved time and effort in searching for completely new solutions through the study and implementation of someone else's experience. Of course, this did not allow them to be fully foremost in their industry, but it gave other well-known advantages. One way or another, as subsequent events showed, such an approach provided the necessary contribution to the combat capability of the troops.
A characteristic feature of Old Russian copies is their utilitarian appearance. Unlike other peoples, the Slavs paid almost no attention to the decoration of their polearms. In particular, there are no significant numbers of arrowheads with silver ornaments on the sleeve, typical of Scandinavia. It is curious that this fact, among other things, was interpreted as proof of the existence of a developed local production of weapons.
Weapon evolution
For many centuries, ancient Russian and foreign gunsmiths constantly modified and changed the shape of the spearhead, trying to improve its fighting qualities. As a result, a large number of forms and classes of such products are known both in our country and abroad. In the case of spear shafts, the situation is much simpler.
Copy tips of different types. Photo Swordmaster.org
The shafts did not differ in the complexity of the design and, in fact, represented a stick of the required length and thickness. In most cases, the length of the shaft corresponded to the average height of an infantryman or did not differ significantly from it. The diameter of this part provided ease of holding and was approximately equal to 25 mm. A spear with such a shaft weighed no more than 350-400 g, which did not make it difficult to work with it. Spears for riders changed over time and acquired new features. So, the length of the shaft of such a weapon could reach 2.5-3 m, and its diameter increased to 30-35 mm. The longer and thicker shaft helped to "reach" the enemy on the ground or on horseback, and also withstood a more powerful blow.
However, the spearheads are of the greatest interest from the historical and technical point of view. The oldest in the context of Ancient Russia are lanceolate arrowheads - such weapons became widespread by the beginning of the 10th century. Such a design, borrowed from the Varangians, was distinguished by a relatively long rhombic section feather, smoothly turning into the sleeve. As it developed, the lanceolate spear changed. Its length decreased and the proportions of the feather changed. Around the 11th century, such weapons fell out of use due to the appearance of more advanced models.
The lancet tip was replaced by the so-called. spiky. In this case, the spear feather was in the shape of a high equilateral triangle. The cross-section of the tip was rhombic and increased towards the sleeve. Curiously, the lance tip has proven to be very successful and effective. The relative perfection of the design allowed it to remain in service for the next several centuries.
Oblong ovoid tip. Photo Swordmaster.org
In the same X century, Old Russian warriors mastered another type of arrowhead. It was made in the form of a tetrahedral blade-rod connected to a funnel-shaped bushing. Such a tip could have a rhombic or square cross-section. In addition, cross-sectional specimens are known. Spears of a similar design can be considered the direct ancestors of later peaks, which appeared several centuries later. At the same time, the time gap between the two types of weapons was not too large: spears with a tetrahedral tip remained in service until the 13th century.
Another curious novelty of the X-XI centuries is the so-called. harpoon - flat arrow-shaped tip with a pair of spikes in the back. Such arrowheads are found in burials of the X-XIII centuries, but in most cases it was a question of hunting weapons. The double-spiked spear-harpoon had limited capabilities in the context of infantry or equestrian combat, and therefore quickly ceased military service.
In the 11th century, a new version of the spearhead was mastered in Russia. It had an oblong-ovoid shape with a rhombic section, as well as a sleeve of small height. It is curious that a similar form of a spear or arrowhead was created during the Bronze Age and received a certain distribution. Ancient Russia mastered such a weapon only at the beginning of the last millennium.
Spike spear. Photo Swordmaster.org
The development of the oblong-ovoid tip is the product of the so-called. laurel form. In the XII century, the development of means of protection and polearms led to an increase in the striking power of the latter. Accordingly, it was necessary to strengthen the design of the tip. The laurel tip had curved blades that diverged smoothly in the front half of the product and converged in the back. The sleeve was of medium length, and its connection to the feather was reinforced. Such spears were actively used until the XIII-XIV centuries.
A variant of the laurel spear was the already mentioned spear - a heavy spear for solving specific problems. To increase the penetrating force, the spearhead could have a length of up to 500-600 mm and a width of up to 60-70 mm. The bushing diameter reached 30-50 mm. The total mass of the spear could reach 800-1000 g - more than two times heavier than the "simple" spear. It should be noted that the spears could have tips of different shapes, but the laurel type provided the best balance of strength and fighting qualities.
In the X-XI centuries, the so-called. petiole tips. If all the other tips had a sleeve that was put on the shaft, then the petiole ones were fastened to a wooden part using a pointed petiole. The latter was literally driven into the shaft. The shape of the tip could be any - specimens of the lanceolate and leaf-shaped types are known. Such weapons were used in the Eastern Baltic and other northwestern regions. However, these spears did not receive more distribution and were soon abandoned. The petiole did not provide reliable retention of the tip on the shaft, and in addition, with strong thrusting blows, it could destroy the latter.
On foot and on horseback
For obvious reasons, the spear was originally an infantry weapon. However, the emergence and development of cavalry led to new ways of using such weapons. As a result, until the very end of the service, Old Russian spears were used by both main "branches of the armed forces". In addition, parallel spears were used in another area. In ancient times, such weapons appeared as a hunting tool, and retained such functions for many millennia. Naturally, infantry, cavalry and infantry spears had certain differences associated with the peculiarities of their use.
Spearhead. Photo Swordmaster.org
The spears for the infantry were smaller and lighter. Their total length rarely exceeded 1, 7-1, 8 m, and their mass was usually in the range of 300-400 g. With such parameters, the weapon combined convenience and sufficient fighting qualities. As the means of defense developed, the cavalry needed larger and heavier spears that could strengthen the blow to the enemy. For these reasons, the length of the products has reached 2.5-3 m, and the weight has more than doubled.
It should be noted that the infantry and cavalry could use spears with points of the same types. Depending on the scope of application, they differed from each other only in size and weight. As the study and implementation of new types of tip was carried out, the rearmament of both foot and horse warriors was carried out.
The situation in the hunting sphere changed differently. Initially, for hunting a large and dangerous game, spears of the "military" type with tips of the current types were used. However, over time, by the XI-XII centuries, new trends were outlined. In the course of numerous battles, it was found that the heavy two-spike harpoon did not show itself in the best way in battle. At the same time, this product was distinguished by its high efficiency when hunting an animal. The rear spikes of the tip could cling to the edges of the wound and did not allow the spear to be removed, increasing the impact on the target. On the battlefield, this property turned out to be unnecessary, but it was useful on the hunt. Another popular hunting tool is the spear-spear, which is also effective in war.
The turn of the eras
At the end of the Middle Ages, new types of weapons appeared that changed the situation on the battlefield. However, this did not lead to the abandonment of polearms. Spears were used and developed until the XV-XVI centuries, when they were replaced by more perfect and effective lances. Also during this period, the spear was further developed, which was still an effective means of defeating infantry and cavalry. In parallel, the development of a completely new polearm was carried out.
The use of a spear-spear on the hunt. 18th century splint, Wikimedia Commons
The development of means of protection and the emergence of new weapons constantly changed the situation on the battlefields, and also presented new requirements for existing weapons. Nevertheless, with all such changes, some classes of weapons remained in service for many centuries. The spear is a prime example of this. It remained in service with various formations for more than a thousand years and contributed to the combat effectiveness of the troops. In the future, it was spears and the experience of their combat use that led to the emergence of new types of pole arms, which gradually replaced them.
Old Russian gunsmiths tried to follow current trends in the field of weapons and adopted someone else's experience; borrowed and developed the developments of foreign colleagues. Thanks to this, they managed to create a large number of types of infantry and cavalry weapons, including a whole set of different copies. Spears of all types, together with other melee, pole-arm and throwing weapons, ensured the high combat effectiveness of the army for many centuries, and thereby made a significant contribution to the construction and defense of the Russian state.
