Crossbow Bolt
Culture
European
Datelate 1400s
Mediumsteel and wood
Dimensions35.9 × 1.5 cm (14 1/8 × 9/16 in.), 2 oz. (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.53.1
DescriptionThick bolt with heavy and crudely executed head, now aggressively overpolished. Round shaft become lenticular at back. Traces of two wooden flights in grooves at rear.Label TextBody armor was ultimately made obsolete by gunpowder, but already in the Middle Ages it faced a serious threat from crossbows. Like firearms, crossbows were simple "point-and-shoot" weapons that could be used by soldiers with much less training than knights, and bolts like this could strike with enough power to pierce plate steel.ProvenanceGift of John Waldman (Amherst, MA) on March 29, 2006. Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
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