Spearheads of Bear-Spears from the Collection of the Nizhny Novgorod State Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve

Purpose. This article introduces three samples of spearheads of long-shafted weapons from the collection of the Nizhny Novgorod State Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve (Nizhny Novgorod, Russia). Long-range weapons being of a certain scientific interest, the samples of spearheads considered are important as they have not been described yet. In the course of our research, we have analyzed the features of their design in order to clarify the origin and time of their creation. Results. Two spearheads from the collection of the Nizhny Novgorod State Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve came from a private collection of A. O. Karelin (1837–1906), and the third one from the funds of the Museum of Lyskovo. Their origin in those collections is unknown; however, museum workers have managed to date them to the 17th century. All the spearheads considered are in a good condition, with barely noticeable spots of rust. Obviously, they have new shafts, two of which are broken. All spearheads were manufactured from iron; belong to the sleeved type according to the method of planting on the shaft and to the group of lenticular according to the cross-section of the pen. The pens of the spearheads are of two types – elongated rhombic and elongated triangular. The spearheads’ feathers are decorated with rows of holes along the edge and two curls (sprouts) below the shoulders. All the spearheads have another decorative element, a so called “apple” on the neck of the pen, which was not a mandatory element of this type of spearheads. The elongated rhombic pens belong to the spearheads from the collection of the museum in Lyskovo and Karelin’s collection (spearheads No. 1–2). The spearhead No. 1 (inventory number GOM 11943. IM 1512) has the total length of 28.4 cm; the blade is 11 cm long and 4.7 cm wide at most. The biggest diameter of the sleeves measures 3.8 cm with the length of 13.6 cm. The spearhead No. 2 (inventory number GOM 7274-13. OR 451) has the total length of 34 cm; the blade is 17 cm long and 5.4 cm wide at most. The biggest diameter of the sleeves measures 3.8 cm with the length of 12.4 cm. The elongated triangular pen is from Karelin’s collection. The spearhead No. 3 (inventory number GOM 7274-10.OR 382) has the total length of 37 cm; the blade is 28.5 cm long and 5.5 cm wide at most. The biggest diameter of the sleeves measures 3.8 cm with the length of 12.3 cm. Conclusion. Three previously unknown spearheads have been introduced into scientific circulation. The analysis of the design features of these weapons allowed us to date them to the 17th century. The spearheads are attributed to the type “rogatina”, which was widespread in the Russian state being massive and big. Such long-range weapons were known as “bear-spear” and initially were used for hunting large animals. Such items are widely found in the European part of Russia and in Siberia, where they were brought by Russian pioneers.