Table of Contents
What are Bodkin point arrows used for?
Bodkin tipped arrows were used primarily as armor penetrating weapons and were able to penetrate chain mail and to some degree plate mail. The elongated, sharpened point and thin head was able to penetrate and separate the links of chain mail.
Did arrows pierce armor?
Yes, but much depends on range, arrow type, and the quality of the plate armor. The heavy English longbows, throwing heavy arrows made of ash and equipped with “pile” arrowheads were known to pierce plate.
Why do arrowheads have barbs?
Broadheads with blades of more than 2.5 cm were primarily hunting weapons for shooting red deer, elk or aurochs. Later medieval written sources such as the well-known Le Livre de la Chass by Gaston Fébus, eleventh count of Foix in France, emphasize that wide arrowheads with barbs are ideal for hunting.
What era are arrowheads from?
The technology that made the first stone points possible was invented by our distant ancestor Homo erectus in Africa during the later Acheulean period, circa 400,000–200,000 years ago. This technology involved knocking bits of stone off a hunk of rock to create a sharp point.
What is a bodkin arrow?
The name comes from the Old English word bodkin or bodekin, a type of sharp, pointed dagger. Arrows of the long bodkin type were used by the Vikings and continued to be used throughout the Middle Ages.
What is a bodkin point made of?
Bodkin point. A bodkin point is a type of arrowhead. In its simplest form it is an uncomplicated squared metal spike, and was used extensively during the Middle Ages. The typical bodkin was a square-section arrowhead, generally up to 11.5 cm (4.5 in) long and 1 cm (0.39 in) thick at its widest point, tapered down behind this initial “punch” shape.
Do bodkin points penetrate armor?
It has been suggested that the bodkin came into its own as a means of penetrating armour, but research by the Royal Armouries has found no hardened bodkin points, though only two bodkin points were actually tested, not a statistically relevant number.
Will a needle bodkin penetrate a Modern flak jacket?
Tests have also shown that it will easily penetrate the modern flak jacket. The needle bodkin was made in a number of different sizes from two inches long ones with 1/4″ sockets, to eight inches long found in a castle moat in the Midlands.