Watch the full video here: 👉    • Celtic Warriors, Weapons and Warfare ...  
Compared to Early Iron age cultures, which utilized spears and axes as melee weapons of choice, the celts preferred their double-bladed longswords. Despite that, a variety of spears has been found which, besides the regional differences, also reveals different purposes and specializations like warfare and hunting.

The earliest examples of Celtic spears could be divided according to design and purpose. The melee, leaf-shaped spear that usually carries a midrib, while range spearheads would be flat or even slightly hollowed, to bend easier. This would prevent an opponent from throwing the spear back.

Specialized javelins, separate from other multifunctional spears, were rare in the earlier period, especially when compared to the Roman army. The Celts settled in the Apennine peninsula also saw the use of the pilum - an ancient javelin of Etruscan origin, that would also be adopted by the Romans and Celts alike. In all armies, the pilum would undergo regular changes and improvements throughout centuries.

As the number of Celtic warriors grew, so had their arms and production. Spears, being cheaper than swords, now exceeded their number. The spearheads could be decorated with Celtic patterns of flora and fauna, and were attached to a wooden pole made of ash or other kind of tree.

Just like with swords, spears too were gradually lengthened throughout the era, with spearheads alone reaching up to around 1 meter in length, and with the total length on average around 2 and a half meters, which is similar to the Dory spear of Greek hoplites.

Celtic spearheads came in different shapes and sizes, most often leaf-shaped, but sometimes with a wavy shape or holes through it. Diodorus of Sicily writes how Celtic wavy spearheads would not merely make a penetrating wound, but also deform and tear the flesh upon both entering and removal.

As Romans adapted to the weapons and tactics of the Celts, many Celtic tribes also learned. As such, they made their spears narrower, in order to effectively pierce through roman armor plating. Such development was more common in the western Europe, while around the Danube river, the spearheads maintained broader and shorter shape.

The metallic butt-spike of the spear, which was used for additional balance and even as a weapon in case the shaft broke, would be less and less used, as it was more and more rare for such an occurrence to happen. Additionally, better balance could be achieved with changing the width of a shaft.

The spears continued to be optimized for the changing tactics and warriors’ preferences. Despite all these changes, no specific model or design completely disappeared throughout the era.


Sources: docs.google.com/document/d/1mnK9tpEvz9UgeVWuUh8fPF…

I hope you learn something new in this video. If you want to see more history videos, feel free to like and subscribe... you know how YouTube works. 👍

Learn more about the history in the heart of Europe:    • History in the heart of Europe  

Edited with Vegas Pro Edit 19

#history #celts #archeology #ironage #shorts