ROMAN IRON CAVALRY SPEAR HEAD

C. 1–300 AD. A socketed iron spearhead comprising a leaf-shaped, lentoid-section blade with raised midrib. Spearhead of this type were a key part of the Roman cavalry’s equipment and can be seen in use on many Roman monuments such as Trajan’s Column, and the Arch of Constantine. It is partially thanks to this type of spear that Rome was able to control an empire that reached from north-western Europe to the Near East and encompassed all the lands of the Mediterranean. For more information on Roman weaponry in general see Bishop and Coulston 2005, “Roman Military Equipment from the Punic Wars to the Fall of Rome.“ Good Condition. Size: L:290mm; 150g. Provenance: From the private collection of a Kent gentleman; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK /European art markets.