Medival iron point question (Re post)

[WillS]

Here's a brief excerpt from Mike Loade's book "The Longbow"

"Crescent-shaped arrowheads may have been a type that had use in naval engagements.  Often also called "forkers" these heads are most usually associated with hunting birds.

However, tests by Mark Stretton have shown that a crescent arrowhead also has the capacity to tear sailcloth (Soar 2010: 148).  Mark found that by shooting with these heads using a shallow angle at heavy canvas, he created 12in tears.  Multiple shots with such arrows from a pursuing ship could have the effect of slowing down the target ship, and a high wind could cause a shredded sail to rip apart even more.  The extent to which this tactic was used remains speculative."

Personally, I'm not sure I buy that - if even one crescent shaped head has been found on an actual battlefield site that makes this theory somewhat void, as there aren't any sails on battlefields.  It is of course possible that they were developed for sails, and then used at other situations but timelines would need to be analysed to make anything of that.

I'm seeing Mark next weekend, so I'll bend his ear about what he thinks.

[bdog]

As a matter of fact modern turkey killing broad heads are very similar in design. I have shot turkey heads clean off with arrows. Mind you that's with a compound bow and peep sights....so not quite comparable in terms of accuracy. Point taken though very difficult too get good historical info.

[Strelets]

We can get a clue as to what these arrowheads were for from where they were found. Out of 96 medieval arrowheads in the Salisbury and South Wilts Museum collection, four are of the forked head shape. Three of these were found at Clarendon, a medieval royal palace and hunting lodge in the middle of what was England's largest medieval deer park. The nearest ships would have been at Southampton, 20 miles away.  The other forked head was found in the Wyle valley, even further from the sea or a navigable river. So these heads were much more likely to have been for hunting, rather than attacking sails and rigging.

[docrocket99]

ive read the magyar used them to cause horses to go into a panic, throwing a rider hopefully.