Types of spearheads: shapes and historical differences

The spearheads are distinguished by the profile of the blade, its section and the connection with the shaft. Among the shapes you will find are foliaceous or lanceolate leaves and heads with lateral projections, such as the corcesca and the partsan. The jousting colonel belongs to a different context: it is a termination with several teeth used in certain tournament modalities.

This classification is used to read the shape of a piece, but is not enough to attribute an exact date, town or function. Nor do all of these names describe the same thing: "foliaceous" indicates a profile; "Partesan" designates a type of polearm. The photographs of replicas that accompany the guide help to recognize features, without replacing the documentation of the historical originals.

Which parts should be looked at first

• Sheet: top. Look at its width, contour, length and presence of cutting edges.
• Ring and section: the central relief and the profile seen from the side. A narrow silhouette alone does not indicate how thick the metal is.
• Hub or bushing: the hollow housing where the end of the shaft enters. In some pieces, perforations and remains of the fixing are preserved.
• Lateral projections: check if they are fins close to the base or pointed branches that accompany the central leaf.

The handle also provides information. The Metropolitan Museum preserves a point from the Bronze Age, dated between 1200 and 800 BC. C., whose socket has two holes for pins and preserved wood inside. It is a documented example of how head and shaft were joined, not a rule applicable to all spears.

Leaf and lanceolate tips: distinguish the contour

The foliaceous or leaf-shaped tip

It is recognized by a contour that widens and then converges towards the end. The width and the point where it is reached vary from piece to piece. It is not a form exclusive to a single culture: the British Museum documents, for example, an Anglo-Saxon iron point with a leafy blade and an open hub, dated between the end of the 5th century and the beginning of the 7th century.

The lanceolate or elongated blade tip

«Lanceolada» describes an elongated profile reminiscent of a narrow blade. In a visual comparison, the proportion between length and width is of interest, not just the impression that the tip is thin. The terms foliaceous and lanceolate may overlap: they are outline descriptions, not two completely separate historical families.

The following two replicas show how an elongated blade can change width and transition towards the cube. Their trade measures describe concrete models; should not become standard dimensions of all European or Merovingian spears.

Corcesca and partsana: when lateral projections appear

Corcesca

The corcesca has a long central iron accompanied by two pointed projections. The Dictionary of the Spanish Language relates it to the partsana and highlights those harpoon-like projections. That is why it is more accurate to recognize the main leaf and its two lateral branches than to describe it simply as "a spear with three leaves."

The size, decorative perforations and finish of a replica do not alone define its chronology. A catalog name such as "German" indicates a commercial attribution that must be contrasted with the reproduced historical model.

partesana

The partsan is characterized by a wide iron, with cutting edges on both sides and fins at the base, which can be pointed or adopt a curved shape. Those fins don't necessarily look the same as the long branches of a corcesca.

In addition to its form, the context of use counts. The RAE includes its use as the insignia of squad corporals; The Metropolitan Museum preserves parts of Louis XIV's guard from the late 17th century. These examples remind us that a pole head could fulfill a representation function, in addition to its relationship with weapons.

The Colonel: A Different Joust Ending

The colonel is no ordinary war blade. In the so-called peace joust, heads with three or more teeth were used for contact with the opponent's team. The Metropolitan Museum distinguishes this form from war jousting, in which sharp points were used. Not all jousts shared, therefore, the same ending.

It is also worth distinguishing a colonel from a corcesca: several short teeth on the end of a tournament spear are not equivalent to a long central blade with lateral branches. The form must be interpreted in conjunction with the completed weapon and its documentation.

Visual summary of shapes

How to interpret a point without confusing shape and origin

1. Describe what is visible. Start with the contour, the rib, the hub and the projections; avoid attributing a culture only by appearance.
2. Search for the reference original. A museum record with provenance and dating provides more historical context than a commercial name.
3. Separates replica and archaeological piece. The material, weight or length of a current model are not proof of all historical specimens.
4. Check out what its designation means. “Functional” does not demonstrate the ability to penetrate armor nor is it equivalent to authorization for use in contact.

The “Viking and Celtic, 6th–7th centuries” label on a replica is also not sufficient to bring these attributions together in a historical identification. To date a piece, data is needed from the original, the discovery or the research that supports the reproduction.

What differentiates a spear from a halberd

The presence of a top point does not turn any head into a spear. A halberd incorporates a lateral ax blade and, usually, an opposing element; a partesana organizes its iron around a central blade with fins. If you want to compare these silhouettes with replicas, the collection of halbardas allows you to recognize that visual difference.

To continue looking at blades, bushings and bosses on current models, explore the collection of lances and spearheads. Use the guide to interpret its shapes and consult the sheet of each piece for its measurements and declared purpose.

Sources and references

The forms are explained using institutional terminology and examples preserved in museums. Catalog photographs illustrate current replicas and are not used as dating evidence.

• Metropolitan Museum: Bronze Age tip, 1998.540.1 — socket, perforations and wood remains.
• British Museum: Buckland Anglo-Saxon Point, 1995,0102.388 — leafy leaf and dating of the specimen.
• RAE–ASALE: corcesca — definition of the central iron and its projections.
• RAE–ASALE: partsana — leaf shape, fins and use as insignia.
• RAE–ASALE: halberd — distinction from heads with central blade and fins.
• Metropolitan Museum: weapons and ornamentation at Versailles — partsans of the guard of Louis XIV.
• Metropolitan Museum: medieval tournament modalities — colonel and distinction between jousts.