Arrows

Arrows
Arrow Heads
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Arrow Heads
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This article's completion rating is 2 out of 5. Article structure and content is subject to change as data is still being collected.

Viking Age Compendium articles on Archery:

Wargear

Archery & Bow Overview

Arrows Overview

Catalogue of Archery Evidence

Quivers

Slings

Viking Age Compendium articles on Archery:

Wargear

Archery & Bow Overview

Arrows Overview

Catalogue of Archery Evidence

Quivers

Slings

Arrows would have been made from suitable locally available materials. Although we have found thousands of arrow heads, we have very few finds of arrow shafts. Because of this paucity of evidence we are forced to look earlier in time to determine how arrows were constructed and here we consider evidence from the late Roman period to the end of Regia’s period.
Old English had a number of words for arrow: earh, arwe, flā, flān, wifel, strǣl, strǣle . [Manley 1985: p.225]

Arrow shafts

For a full list of finds see the Bows and Arrow Shafts found in Western Europe page.
We have very few finds of arrow shafts. What we have found shows a diverse use of woods. The following woods have been found at:

Wood	Found at
Birch	Oppdal, Femund, Hedeby
Scots Pine	Scar, Dublin
Yew	Hedeby, Cork, Waterford
Willow	Dublin
Ash	Altdorf
Honeysuckle	Altdorf
Hazel	Altdorf

Arrow heads

Arrow head development

There is no easy way to categorise broad-headed arrow heads into leaf-shaped or shouldered (angular) shapes. Many arrowheads do not easily fall into either category. . Leaf shaped and tanged very common in Scandinavia . Later C11th appears an abrupt change to socketed elongated tapering heads (bodkins).

Tanged Arrows - leaf or shouldered

Usually a ‘leaf-shaped’ or lentoid blade usually with a diamond shaped cross-section.
The arrowhead is glued into a hole drilled in to the end of the arrow shaft by its tang. The end of the arrow shaft is then often reinforced with a sleeve of wood or bark, or by whipping linen or more rarely brass wire around the shaft.

Archaeology

• York, England C9th – C11th 14 finds; length:102-155mm;width:10-21mm
• Sonning, C10th/C11th 3 finds?
• Walton, Bucks, England
• Carlisle Cathedral, England
• Norwich, England
• Dublin, Ireland
• Lagore Crannog, Ireland
• Hedeby, Denmark
• Ladby Ship, Denmark
• Arhus, Denmark
• Trelleborg, Denmark
• Oppdalsfjella, Norway
• Kaupang, Norway
• Birka, Sweden
• Loddekopinge, Sweden
• Lund, Sweden

Socketed Arrows - shouldered or leaf

Usually a shouldered blade usually with a diamond shaped cross-section. The arrowhead is attached to the end of the arrow shaft by means of gluing the socket.
Art
--
Archaeology

• Thetford, England 2 leaf shapped heads
• Dublin, Ireland

Bodkin heads

Archaeology

• Dublin, Ireland Late C10th/C11th 54% of heads
• Trellborg, Denmark C11th 56% of the arrows
• Staigard/Oldenburg, Germany C11th majority of heads

Discussion
A range of sites across Northern Europe show comparable evidence for a shift towards bodkins in the second half of the C10th. It has been argued that this may reflect the emergence of the armoured and mounted aristocratic warriors.

Although the Roman’s had bodkin arrow heads they seem to have gone out of fashion in England until the C10th.

Notched blade

Archaeology

• Rundhogda, Norway c.800-1000AD [ROESDAHL and WILSON 1992:p.249 cat.88]

Discussion
For hunting birds such as woodcock or grouse. The notched blade prevents the arrow from glancing off the birds feathers. [ROESDAHL and WILSON 1992:p.249 cat.88]

Arrows shafts and flights

Shafts

Art
Literature
Archeology

• Dublin, Scots pine, willow and yew
• Waterford
• Scar
• Hedeby, Yew
• Birka.
• Oppdal, Norway, 800-1000AD, birch shaft with tanged leaf shaped head. Traces of resin from holding the flights
• Femund, Norway, 800-1000AD, birch shaft with tanged head attached by lashing with tendon (sinew), then covered with birch bark.

Flights

Art
--
Literature
--
Archeology
Taken from the pinion feathers of large birds such as eagles, geese or swans and glued using birch tar . Arrows from the Viking Age seen to use the traditional three feather style.

Whipping

Thread wrapped around the nock and flights of the arrow shaft.
Art
--
Literature
--
Archeology

• Sinew:
  
  • Oppdal, Norway, dated 400-600AD, on pine shafts (Halpin) or birch (Roesdahl & Wilson) along with resin glue . Used for hunting.
  • Femund, Norway, 800-1000AD, birch shaft with tanged head attached by lashing with tendon (sinew), then covered with birch bark.
  • Nydam used birch tar and sinew whipping
• Horse hair:
  
  • Roman Dura-Europos?
• Linen:
  
  • --
    
• Brass wire:
  
  • Hedeby. Paulsen mentions the use of brass wire to reinforce the tanged arrow heads at Hedeby.
    

Discussion
Whipping seems to have normally been done around at least the nock. Other places are before the flight, spiralled through the flight and optionally around the head end to strengthen a tanged arrow head.

Self-nocks

Art
--
Literature
--
Archeology

• Snohetta, Norway, birch shaft with tanged leaf shaped head. Traces of resin from holding the flights

Discussion
All are self-nocks or flat nocks. No evidence of horn inserts. Most are whipped to help strengthen.

Brass or bone nocks

These arrows were more likely to have been used for hunting rather than battle.

• Denmark, Hedeby Boat Grave - At least 9 arrows were found with inserted brass nocks. .
• Germany, Oldenburg - 2 brass nocks similar to those from the Hedeby boat grave. Dated to C9th. .

Decoration

Roman examples from Duro Europos show black and red paint on the nocks, . Similar painted nocks can also be seen on arrows found at Qasr Ibrim, Nahal Tse’elim as well as Asian arrows. 36 arrows with red paint on their shafts where found in the late C5th grave at Högum, Medelpad, Sweden.
It is possible that the nocks of arrows in the Viking Age could also have been painted to assist in identification.

References

Bishop, M. C., and Coulston, J.C.N. (2006) Roman Military Equipment. From the Punic Wars to the Fall of Rome. Second Edition. *

Brown, Paul (2007) Romanarmy.net - Roman Arrows. [Accessed 2012] (Available Online) *

Halpin, Andrew (2008) Weapons and Warfare in Viking and Medieval Dublin. Medieval Dublin Excavations 1962-81: Ser.B Vol.09 *

Ottaway, Patrick (1992) Anglo-Scandinavian Ironwork from Coppergate. York Archaeological Trust: 17/06 *

Pedersen, Anne (2014) Dead Warriors in Living Memory. A study of weapon and equestrian burials in Viking-age Denmark, AD 800-1000. Publications from the National Museum. Studies in Archaeology & History Vol. 20:1 1 Jelling Series.. *

Pedersen, Anne (2014) Dead Warriors in Living Memory. A study of weapon and equestrian burials in Viking-age Denmark, AD 800-1000. Publications from the National Museum. Studies in Archaeology & History Vol. 20:1 2 Jelling Series.. *

'Pfeil und Bogen in Haithabu'. In Geibig, A. and Paulsen, H. (1999) Neue Ausgrabungen in Haithabu; Band 33: Das archäologische Fundmaterial VI. Ausgrabungen in Haithabu. Hedeby-Ausgrabungen in Haithabu *

Rau, Andreas (2007) 'Remarks on finds of Wooden Quivers from Nydam Mose, Southern Jutland, Denmark'. (Available Online) Archaeologia Baltica: Vol.8 *

Roesdahl, Else, and Wilson, David M. (eds.) (1992) From Viking to Crusader, The Scandinavians and Europe 800-1200. Nordic Council of Ministers. *