Ethnographic Arms & Armour - What is it ??? strange spear head?

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What is it ??? strange spear head?

Hi,
just bought this for 'peanuts'....could be just an agricultural tool.. :shrug: but I thought it worth a 'punt', it is described as 'incredibly sharp', 18" long ...seems tanged .... perhaps some form of short stabbing spear,? short sword?..... all suggestions (including imaginative ones :p ) gratefully received .

Regards David

Looks like a spearhead with an iron shaft. Just like the pilum of the romans.
But what its origin is ????? :shrug:

The barbs at the point will make it more difficult to stab, instead of making it difficult to pull out as you would expect.
Strange item.
looking forward to more pics. maybe markings ?

Best regards,
Willem

asparagus knife?
http://i4.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/ac/36/afee_1.JPG
have seen them on ebay, in a variety of end shapes, some with serrated edges on one side, sharp on the other, generally about 18in. long set in a plain wood handle. shaft may be flat, round, square.

bon appetit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kronckew

asparagus knife?

bon appetit.

:D

A culinary weapon ....... so could I call it an asparagus 'spear' :rolleyes:
I never knew gardening could be so dangerous....asparagus must put up a great fight ...to need such protection ;)

I am hoping you are wrong.......but seeing the evidence STRONGLY suggests you are right.....thanks for the info Kronckew

i saw that one on epray myself, i seem to recall the seller saying he found it in the garden.....and then i recalled where i had seen a similar 'weapon'....it should clean up nice tho, a period grip would not be overly reconstructive.

asparaguseses far and wide shall fear thy name.

....and there was me, thinking that the forward pointing 'teeth' were to cut through light armour (bamboo or leather)...... ;) never mind...nothing ventured... :D Still, to justify buying it (and to prevent this expression :o ) I going to have to consume a lot of asparagus.....at least it is tastier than 'humble pie'.... ;)

To arms men!!! The asparagus are coming. :p :D :p :D

still I doubt it is a gardening tool. The shaft is broader than the tang. That makes the tool weak between the shaft and the handle especially when it is used for heavy duty.

stop the presses!

just discovered in a little known scroll salvaged from the ashes of the temple of jupiter in londinium after it's destruction by boudicca:

a translation from the original latin:

Quote:

Originally Posted by diplodocus

and vespasian came upon the asparagii in their hill fort near camilundium (in kent) and did note their unusual battle tactics.
queen illusium of the asparagii had declared that they would not move from their shield wall and decreed that each warrior would have their feet buried three hands deep in their native soil from which they would not budge. the asparagii were noted for painting themselves green where others of the britanni would paint themselves blue. the asparagii being of an unbending nature did not so paint their legs below mid calf, leaving them white.

vespasian declared that the armourers of the 2nd legion would construct a pilum with a special toothed head such that it in embeding itself in the soil would sever the ankles of the asparagii wariiors, thus rendering them unfit.

to this day, pilum heads of unusual design are found in the meadows and fields of camilundium which are seen nowhere else.

a recently discovered cave painting of queen illusium of the asparagii

http://nedovr.tripod.com/images/asparagus-queen.jpg

a quote from a gardening site:

Quote:

Harvesting Asparagus

In year 3 you can make the first cuts. Early in the season, you cut just a few spears ( no more than 2 to 3 from each plant) about 6" ( 15cm) below the level of the soil ( you really do need a proper asparagus knife for this- I've used a scallop knife for the job with some success).

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/image...pargel203i.jpg

in honour of the deceased asparagii and queen illusium's last vegetable stand the asparagus knife is designed to be inserted into the ground below the level of the soil to saw thru the stem, which does not put any great stress on the device. as it is only cutting a narrow stalk, only the initial portion of the tool is required to be serrated and/or sharpened. in the USA and germany, asparagus ar banked in order to keep the stems from the sun, and thus produce 'white' asparagus, which are cut well below the level of the soil with such a tool in honour of the white ankles of her warriors.

http://www.itcwebdesigns.com/tour_germany/schrob3.jpg

(similar stub tangs have been used for centuries on swords, dha, parang, pedang, kukhri and others for much more demanding 'harvests')

Kronckew... is your last posting ....a 'wind up' ?....I'm not certain whether to :D or ;) or :rolleyes: or say :cool:

Either way......outstanding work :)

diplodocus is a well known historical figure, he even has his own web page at wikipedia HERE

the remaining factoids were taken from other reputable web sources and combined in the light of the diplodocusian translation in the honourable tradition of ebay item descriptions for ethnic antiquities and were intended for guidance if you desire to resell the item later after stabilization.

having taken three years of latin, i did the translation from the original text myself. working with mouldy scrolls reconstructed from powdered papyrus ash is not easy.

original text: the first two words are a good search key for further wikipedia references to this important work.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet Vespasianus imperator, consectetuer adipiscing asparagii elit. Mauris nisi massa, tincidunt nec, mollis nec, pulvinar at pilum dolorosi, sapien. Donec cursus. Vivamus euismod. Regina Illusium Nam scelerisque faucibus orci. Donec non nisi legio secundus. Suspendisse hendrerit, sem a cursus placerat, magna nisi euismod quam, ac molestie justo turpis non leo. Nam posuere pede ac felis. Nullam posuere tortor ac arcu. In metus. Cras eu nibh. Nullam laoreet arcu. Quisque mauris. legum pullem maximus.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kronckew

diplodocus is a well known historical figure, he even has his own web page ............................
......................... legum pullem maximus.

:D :D :confused: :D :D :eek: :cool:

It has arrived, hand forged with high carbon content (I did a 'spark test' on the tang) I was surprised that the tang was hardened. Looks old, probably a blacksmith creation. Still very sharp although has not been honed in a very long time. The weight of the 'spearhead' is too low to make a 'balanced' spear. So Asparagus Knife it is.
I have added a period wood handle......so now I can declare war on all asparagus ....and those 'pesky' Asparagii, whom never run from a fight and are recognisable by their dirty ankles :rolleyes: :D :D ;)