Birka spearheads type A-D 1 according to Petersen

Introduction

This post is the first in a series in which I intend to offer readers a detailed list of the spearheads found in the city of Birka, Sweden. You will find information such as length and width measurements, as well as detailed descriptions of the findings and images of excellent quality.

As sources I have used the website of the Swedish History Museum where you can check the different tombs of Birka (http://mis.historiska.se/mis/sok/birka.asp?sm=10_7), as well as the detailed work done by Lena Thålin-Bergman in 1986 ("Übersicht der Speerspitzen von Birka". In: Greta Arwidsson (ed.) Birka II: 2. Systematische Analysen der Gráberfunde. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1986, 15-20).

The idea of this series is to break with the tradition generated among the reenactors of indiscriminately attributing findings to the city of Birka, using it as an excuse to manufacture or use any type of implement without having a research base. I also hope that it serves different artisans for the development of their work.

Bj. 942

According to the museum website

Disintegrated spear tip. Socket decorated with 4 balls of metal / brass. 

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According to: Lena Thålin-Bergman, "Übersicht der Speerspitzen von Birka" (In: Greta Arwidsson (ed.) Birka II: 2. Systematische Analysen der Gráberfunde. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1986, 15-16)

The spearhead Bj. 942 may perhaps be assigned to type A. The tip and socket are damaged and the blades have severe rust damage. It is a heavy and wide spearhead, with damascene, which is highlighted by the strong corrosion. The double angle band damask is 175 mm long and 25 mm wide. The neck is quite strong with an oval cross section, it may have been forged angularly. But it is the question of whether this spearhead is not because of their size more likely to type C to count. For Petersen, the distinction between types A and C without wings is vague, but it was his intention to classify less powerful specimens under type A.

The socket from Bj 942 is decorated with a pyramidal group of coarse granules, about 4 mm in diameter. A drop analysis of the granules showed that they were made of brass.

Type: A

Length: 363 mm

Width: 45 mm

Socket: 95 mm

Bj. 850

According to the museum webpage: 

Type: Petersen Type B

Length: 532 mm

Width: 67 mm

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According to: Lena Thålin-Bergman, "Übersicht der Speerspitzen von Birka" (In: Greta Arwidsson (ed.) Birka II: 2. Systematische Analysen der Gráberfunde. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1986, 16)

In grave 850 there was a wide, winged spearhead, type C, decorated with vertical, U-shaped furrows. This is the strongest spearhead among the findings from Birka. The blade is relatively flat with a burr that is only slightly noticeable. The mouth of the socket is wide and the neck has a slightly oval, angle-forged cross-section. In the very dense X-ray image, there is a faint hint of damascening, possibly in the form of two broad bands. The outer part of the wings is decorated with a forged furrow. The grooves on the socket differ markedly from those of the tips, type E 1, both in the parallel arrangement and in the design with almost U-shaped cross-section

Type: Petersen type C
Length: 547 mm

Width: 64 mm

Socket length: 140mm

Socket diamter: 31 x 31 mm

Bj. 536

According to the museum website

Lenght: 521 mm

Width: 40 mm

Type: Petersen A

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According to: Lena Thålin-Bergman, "Übersicht der Speerspitzen von Birka" (In: Greta Arwidsson (ed.) Birka II: 2. Systematische Analysen der Gráberfunde. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1986,  16)

A spearhead whose socket is decorated with notches similar to kerf and provided with conical rivets with conical bronze heads. This spearhead is closest to Petersen's Type C, but has certain features of Type E. It is very poorly preserved. Here, too, the neck cross-section is oval (22x17mm) and angularly forged. The extremely elegant damascene lace consists of four narrow bands at the bottom of the sheet, their width together about 15 mm. Where the damasked ribbons converge on the centerline of the leaf to a point, one recognizes further outward a gap, which indicates that the cutting steel was welded along this line. Incidentally, damascening is only perceptible on the X-ray image.

Type: C

Length: 525 mm

Width: 39 mm

Socket lenght: 105 mm

Socket diameter: 28 x 25 mm

Bj. 605B

According to the museum webpage:

Type: Petersen C

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According to: Lena Thålin-Bergman, "Übersicht der Speerspitzen von Birka" (In: Greta Arwidsson (ed.) Birka II: 2. Systematische Analysen der Gráberfunde. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1986,  16)

A winged spearhead, approximately of type D 1. It has pronounced welded cutting edges. Damascening is imperceptible, not even on the very dense radiograph. This is a strong, not exactly elegant lace with an oval neck, 20 x 17 mm, and a short socket with a wide opening.

Type: D 1

Length: 402 mm

Width: 56 mm

Socket length: 75 mm

Socket diameter: 28 x 28 mm

Bj. 957

According to the museum webpage:

Spear tip with copper fittings hollow.

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According to: Lena Thålin-Bergman, "Übersicht der Speerspitzen von Birka" (In: Greta Arwidsson (ed.) Birka II: 2. Systematische Analysen der Gráberfunde. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1986,  16) 

The spearhead from this grave is close to Petersen's types C and E. The socket is decorated with lines and fillets and partly has a bronze coating. The neck is also slightly oval here, but much slimmer than the tips above, it is not forged angular. The X-ray shows that the blades are welded in the whole length of the spearhead of other material, on the other hand, no damascene is perceptible, it probably has no. The diameter of the socket is much smaller than in the other spearheads of this group.

The analysis of the bronze coating showed that it contains 6.2% lead (Pb) and 3.1% tin (Zn) in addition to copper, and about 1% each of silver (Ag) and iron (Fe).Traces of solder were also noticeable, which have not been investigated for the time being.

Type: C-E

Length: 455 mm

Width: 36 mm

Socket length: 100 mm

Socket diameter: 24 x 23 mm