06-08-2007, 07:29 AM
Good morning,
I can think of no contemporary illustrations of archers sticking their arrows in the ground. Lying them on the ground, yes. With warheads often just pushed on, sticking your arrow in the ground could actually remove the bodkin.
I used to place plumbata high on the right of the shield. But such a method needed strapping of which we have archaeological or pictorial evidence), subjected the darts to possible damage when the shield was struck, limited my carrying capacity and unbalanced the shield.
Maurice mentions placing them in buckets which has made me believe that darts came in small buckets, quivers or just bags. These could be tied or carried attached to the shield handle. Such a system would require no straps, or leave any trace. You can carry reasonable numbers, jettison them when you have to, and center the weight in the middle of the shield so you don't disrupt the balance of the shield. When you pass them forward to the front rank you can pass the bucket in one go, rather than passing one dart at a time. You can carry a bucket easily and during combat without fear of the darts being damaged. Such a system works for darts of varying sizes. Blunt darts always seem to vary in length and weight depending which group member has made them. But they all fit in a bucket. You can't always rely on throwing them all before combat is joined, and anyway a dart in the teeth of your opponent makes a nice close quarter option.
This is of course supposition, but at least based on written evidence.
People carry them in both ways in Comitatus, we are not proscriptive. But the bucket system is catching on!
I can think of no contemporary illustrations of archers sticking their arrows in the ground. Lying them on the ground, yes. With warheads often just pushed on, sticking your arrow in the ground could actually remove the bodkin.
I used to place plumbata high on the right of the shield. But such a method needed strapping of which we have archaeological or pictorial evidence), subjected the darts to possible damage when the shield was struck, limited my carrying capacity and unbalanced the shield.
Maurice mentions placing them in buckets which has made me believe that darts came in small buckets, quivers or just bags. These could be tied or carried attached to the shield handle. Such a system would require no straps, or leave any trace. You can carry reasonable numbers, jettison them when you have to, and center the weight in the middle of the shield so you don't disrupt the balance of the shield. When you pass them forward to the front rank you can pass the bucket in one go, rather than passing one dart at a time. You can carry a bucket easily and during combat without fear of the darts being damaged. Such a system works for darts of varying sizes. Blunt darts always seem to vary in length and weight depending which group member has made them. But they all fit in a bucket. You can't always rely on throwing them all before combat is joined, and anyway a dart in the teeth of your opponent makes a nice close quarter option.
This is of course supposition, but at least based on written evidence.
People carry them in both ways in Comitatus, we are not proscriptive. But the bucket system is catching on!
John Conyard
York
A member of Comitatus Late Roman
Reconstruction Group
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.comitatus.net">http://www.comitatus.net
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.historicalinterpretations.net">http://www.historicalinterpretations.net
<a class="postlink" href="http://lateantiquearchaeology.wordpress.com">http://lateantiquearchaeology.wordpress.com
York
A member of Comitatus Late Roman
Reconstruction Group
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.comitatus.net">http://www.comitatus.net
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.historicalinterpretations.net">http://www.historicalinterpretations.net
<a class="postlink" href="http://lateantiquearchaeology.wordpress.com">http://lateantiquearchaeology.wordpress.com