Would you call this a lance or a pike ?
I wouldn't mention spear, as we don't have a strict translation for such term in Portuguese. We currently say 'lança' for lance and 'pique' for pike. We also have 'zagaia' or 'azagaia' for assegai, but that's another story.
This piece was acquired by the seller in a mannor house in the north, where noble old places with coats of arms at the entrance abund. The house keeper said it belonged to the 'house defences'. So in principle this isn't a pike, but a lance, with a butt to stick on the ground, to resist a mounted atack.
The seller remounted it in a 1,7 mt. haft, made from old used oak.
The triple S marks (symbols or letters) in both sides of the blade surely belong to owner ... probably a part of the house crest, or family name initials.
It is dated 17th century.
Fernando
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