Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 34-35. (2014-2015)

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Medieval Weapons from Bistra Muresului

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Fig. 5. Boltheads from Bistra Muresului (Drawn by M. Ferenczi)

of the 15lh and the beginning of the 16th century.92 the thin, slimmer form is the correspondent for Medvedev type 6, its analogies from Novgorod were dated to the 14-15th century.93 Examples of lozenge cross-sectioned, more massive heads are known from Nevicke94 and Csorbakő95 fortresses, both dated to the 15th century. Similar pieces are known from Poland from the 14— 15th century.96 Medvedev classified them to the 8th category, dating their Baltic and Ukrainian specimens to the 13—14th, sporadically to the 15th century.97 The lower time limit in Central Europe for the Zimmermann type T2-5 group of arrowheads of over 2000 pieces is the 13th century, its upper limit can be drawn at the end of the 15th, first half of the 16th century.98

1. Bolthead. Total length: 7.1 cm; sockets length:

2.5 cm, socket’s diameter: 1.2 cm; largest width: 1.6 x

1.1 cm; weight: 30g (Fig. 5/1)

2. Bolthead. Total length: 6.4 cm; socket’s length: 3.9 cm, socket’s diameter: 1.2 cm; largest width: 1.2 x

1.1 cm, by the socket: 1.4 cm; weight: 31 g (Fig. 5/2)

3. Bolthead. Total length: 7.9 cm; socket’s length:

2.5 cm, socket’s diameter: 1.1 cm; largest width: 1.4 x

92 Zimmermann 2000, 46-48, type Tl-5, Taf. 6.

93 Medvedev 1966, 68, 114. Tabl. 31/6.

94 Dzembasz 1999, 274, 285-286, 299. Taf. XIII/3, 300. Taf. XIV/5, 7, 301. Taf. XV/1,6.

95 Szörényi 2004, 247-249, 294. 2. t. 5-6, 12-14.

96 Glinianowicz 2005, 161-162. Tabi. XV, 1-4.

97 Medvedev 1966, 68-69, 114. Tabl. 31/15, 20.

98 Zimmermann 2000, 51-53, Taf. 9.

1.2 cm; weight: 35g (Fig. 5/3)

4. Bolthead. Total length: 6.5 cm; socket’s length:

2.5 cm, socket’s diameter: 1.4 cm; largest width: 1.3 x

1.3 cm; weight: 35g (Fig. 5/4)

5. Bolthead. Total length: 9.1 cm; socket’s length: 3.8 cm, socket’s diameter: 1.4 cm; largest width: 1.0 x 1.0 cm; weight: 36g (Fig. 5/5)

6. Bolthead. Total length: 7.9 cm; socket’s length:

2.7 cm, socket’s diameter: 1.2 cm; largest width: 1.6 x

1.4 cm; weight: 44g (Fig. 5/6)

7. Bolthead. Total length: 7.3 cm; socket’s length:

2.8 cm, socket’s diameter: 1.7 cm; largest width: 1.3 x 1.3 cm; weight: 48g (Fig. 5/7)

8. Bolthead. Total length: 7.5 cm; sockets length:

2.5 cm, sockets diameter: 1.6 cm; largest width: 1.9 x 1.2 cm; weight: 51 g (Fig. 5/8)

9. Bolthead. Total length: 9 cm; socket’s length: 2.6 cm, socket’s diameter: 1.3 cm; largest width: 1.3 x 1.2 cm; weight: 50g (Fig. 5/9)

3. Coat-of-plates

Plate armours were in use as body protection all along the late Middle Ages. Even though they were more vulnerable and more demanding than large plate armours, and also needed to be replaced more often, plate armours were popular due to their lower production costs and efficiency. We almost have no information on their Transylvanian use, since written sources of different body protection equipments are difficult to link to real objects. Their identification is therefore questionable, except for a few cases. The latest short synthesis of Transylvanian defensive armour only alludes to their use,99 but except for pictorial data could not offer anything more. Despite frequent fortress excavations, they rarely turn up in archaeological material.

We have identified 18 pieces of similarly shaped riveted iron plates in our find. Almost each of them is a rectangle, their surface carries one or two rows of rosette headed rivets. One single piece has simple disc-shaped rivet heads, this is probably not part of the same armour, or it might have replaced an originally rosette-headed missing piece. The rivets are placed in one corner or in the quarter of the plate, their diameter is 0.5 cm. The distance between them is usually

1.5-2.5/3.00 cm. The distance between the rivet and the plate is generally 1.5-2.5 mm, the material that carried these plates and served also as body protection was approximately this thick. By the manner of fastening the rivets it is obvious that it was from the inside that these plates were fastened on the cloak of either leather or another kind of

99 Bordi 2003,315.