Spear & Javelins; Dimensions and Weights

[Tim Simmons]

I agree spear are most interesting and some can be very impressive. I came show this East African example my favourite. 1.520kg so not something you are going to throw unless absolutely forced to. Total length 174cm. The blade not including the socket part just the stabbing and cutting edges is 77cm long. A heavy square section shoe and the last 10cm of the tip is an average 8mm thick. This is a weapon for thrusting with both hands the weight and balance would make one handed thrusting very tiering. The robust construction of this spear makes this weapon very effective in two handed use like that of staff/stave with slashing and jabbing, both blade and shoe in fairly close combat but too long and heavy for hand to hand combat. Used in a shield wall it would be hard to get past. In the open, an opponent would have to be supremely confident to get in close enough to engage the carrier in face to face hand to hand combat.