Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - rare medieval weapon against heavy Armour.

fearn · 1st April 2013, 06:57 AM

The more I look at it, the more I think these are billhooks.

Here's the puzzle: most billhooks are single-handed tools (amply illustrated by http://billhooks.co.uk/). The weird thing is that most weaponized billhooks are presented as two-handed and long-handled, mostly based on a few late models in museums.

Kind of weird, no? I'd suggest that these mysterious weapons are weaponized one-hand bills, which are by far the most common type of bill. They've also been present in Europe since Pre-Roman times.

I'd also suggest checking out the diversity of shapes subsumed under the general term "billhook" (see http://billhooks.co.uk/photos-and-other-images/ and the pages following it). I think, if you prowl through, you'll find some familiar looking shapes.

My 0.0002 conjectural cents,

F

1st April 2013, 06:57 AM	#17
fearn Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,247	The more I look at it, the more I think these are billhooks. Here's the puzzle: most billhooks are single-handed tools (amply illustrated by http://billhooks.co.uk/). The weird thing is that most weaponized billhooks are presented as two-handed and long-handled, mostly based on a few late models in museums. Kind of weird, no? I'd suggest that these mysterious weapons are weaponized one-hand bills, which are by far the most common type of bill. They've also been present in Europe since Pre-Roman times. I'd also suggest checking out the diversity of shapes subsumed under the general term "billhook" (see http://billhooks.co.uk/photos-and-other-images/ and the pages following it). I think, if you prowl through, you'll find some familiar looking shapes. My 0.0002 conjectural cents, F