Crossbow Bolt
Culture
European
Cultureperhaps
German
Date1500s
Mediumiron and wood
Dimensions37cm 2.0 oz
ClassificationsArms and Armor
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.685.2
DescriptionBolt head attached to a wooden shaft with remains of wood vanes or flights. Steel heavily pitted and scratched with a few small surface fractures. Heavy losses around the seam and around lower edge of point. Glue visible under point. Shaft worn and slightly warped, with one vane entirely lost and the other almost entirely. Two small groves behind the vanes.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 very little training. These crossbow bolts have stout heads to help them pierce armor.ProvenanceProbably purchased by John W. Higgins on January 4, 1929 from W.O. Oldman, London, England Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
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