We’ve discussed spears with runes & signs here and more specifically here:
- Rozwadów, south-east Poland,
- Soshychne, western Ukraine
- Dahmsdorf-Müncheberg, eastern Germany
as well as here. Here are some other “tamga” spears. Tamgas are associated most typically with the Sarmatians. Yet, as we will see these spears are not found where the Jazyges resided and Ukraine, the are ruled by Sarmatians and later the Goths also does not generally yield tamga spear finds. Perhaps they could be associated with the Veneti Sarmatae. Some of these are from a 2012 article by Yatsenko & Dobrzanska. Others from Gustaf Kossina’s ever giving Die deutsche Vorgeschichte: Ein hervorragende nationale Wissenschaft or other Mannus-related publications such as Martin Jahn’s Die Bewaffnung der Germanen in der alteren Eisenzeit etwa von 700 v. Chr. bis 200 n. Chr. I also give citations in the text to various Polish articles announcing these finds (or analyzing them in depth). For more on this stuff is currently Bartosz Kontny if you can read Polish, of course.
Jankowo, Poland
This in the area of Mogilno is also the site of the discovery of the Jankowo “head” (for that discovery as well as its “viking” interpretation, you can see, for example, Der Kopf von Adolfinenhof Kreis Mogilno, eine Wikingische Holzplastik?)
Żurawiczki (Kamienica), Poland
There are actually two finds here. The first is this:
And the second this:
The other side of this spear apparently was too worn out to provide anything of interest though we know it contains dots and a few concentric circles.
This was described in Włodzimierz Antoniewicz’s Żelazne oszczepy inkrustowane z Kamienicy, w pow. jarosławskim, „Przeglad Archeologiczny”, t. 1, s. 99–111 (1919) as well as other articles including in Andrzej Kokowski’s Problemy badania dziejów kultury przeworskiej in Kultura Przeworska, Lublin vol 1.
Zadowice, Poland
We can also see a similar “tree” symbol on an encrusted sword from Lachmirowice and Egge as discussed in Tadeusz Horbacz’s and Marek Olędzki’s Inkrustowane Miecze Rzymskie z Barbaricum i Obszarow Przylimesowych Imperium Romanum: Wybrane Zagadnienia in Acta Universatis Lodziensis, Folia Archaeologica, vol 17 (1992).
Grunówko, Poland
Another location where spears have been found is Grunówko. There are two specimen from Grunówko (near Wschowa by Leszno) though the silver encrustings apparently had melted in the ritual flames. The original publication here was Kurhan w Grunówku pod Lesznem by Romuald Erzepki from the Zapiski Archeologiczne Poznańskie, volume IV (1888). Here is the first:
And here is the other:
Września, Poland
Podlodów, Poland
The cover of Andrzej Kokowski’s Lubelszczyzna w młodszym okresie przedrzymskim i w okresie rzymskim features the following spear:
In order to identify it you can read Jan Gurba’s and Zygmunt Ślusarski’s 1966 article Bogato wyposażony grób z III wieku z Podlodowa w pow. tomaszowsko-lubelskim, „Przeglad Archeologiczny”, t. 17. This was discovered in the village of Podlodów by a local farmer – Jan Kukis in 1959.
You will soon discover that the spear actually looks like this:
Or rather like this:
Stryczowice by Ostrowiec, Poland
For more of this and others check out Andrzej Nadolski’s Kilka uwag o inkrustowanych grotach oszczepów z późnego okresu rzymskiego, Slavia Antiqua, t. 2 (1950) or Z problematyki badań nad wczesnośredniowiecznym uzbrojeniem polskim from “Z Otchłani Wieków: pismo poświęcone pradziejom Polski, Tom 21, Numer 5 (1952). More recently, see Jacek Andrzejowski’s Groty włóczni ze znakami symbolicznymi ze Stryczowic in „ZOW”, t. 61, nr 1–2.
Gać, Poland
For more on this you can check out an article by Anna Lasota, Cmentarzysko z okresu rzymskiego w Gaci w swietle nowych badan or Marcin Biborski’s Zdobiona broń z cmentarzyska ciałopalnego z okresu wpływów rzymskich z Gaci k. Przeworska in Materiały Archeologiczne, t. XXIII (1986).
Bodzanowo, Poland
The Bodzanowo of this spear lies about midway between Inowrocław and Włocławek.
Kopaniewo, Poland
This is from Jahn’s book where he says it comes from Koppenow, now Kopaniewo in Lębork County, Pomerania, Poland. Apparently, another example of this is from Neugut (near Sławno?).
Silesia, Poland
On this one you cannot see any taigas but you can see the “moon” symbols.
The specific location of this find is uncertain. More on the topic in Rudolf Jamka’s Ozdoby oręża i narzędzi z podokresu późno-lateńskiego i okresu rzymskiego, odkrytych na Śląsku, “Polska Akademia Umiejętności – Prace Prehistoryczne”, nr 3. Quite a similar example comes from Hoppenrade, east Germany – see below for that.
Rogów Opolski, Poland
Here you have the same spear shown in two different ways.
Once again see the Rudolf Jamka article for more on these which also refers to articles by Raschke (from whom comes the version of the picture on the left) and Kurtz (same for the right side version). The tamga signs seem quite few and barely visible.
Sobótka, Łęczyca, central Poland
These pictures come from G Rycel’s’ article Cmentarzysko kultury przeworskiej w Sobótce (st. 1), woj. konińskie, Prace i Materiały Muzeum Archeologicznego i Etnograficznego w Łodzi. Seria Archeologiczna, nr 24 (1981). This Sobótka is between Warsaw and Poznan.
Here the “lunar” as well as “solar” (in the top picture) symbols are clearly visible.
Nadkole, Mazovia, Poland
Here is an interesting example of lunar and triangular (?) symbols from Mazovia.
For more information you can check out Jacek Andrzejowski’s “Nadkole 2. A Cemetery of the Przeworsk Culture in Eastern Poland.”
There are a few similar spears from outside of Poland. Such as this.
Medow, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, east Germany
(Medowe or Miodowe)
Zihl, Switzerland
This Swiss example comes from Jahn’s book.
Недобоївці/Nedoboyivtsi/Nedoboivtsi, western Ukraine
Valle, Norway
Mos, Stenkyrka, Gotland, Sweden
This is an example from Sweden from an article “Runes and Romans in the North” by Lisbeth Imer (also her drawing).
With this exception, the Scandinavian versions of these spears or lances do not appear to be adorned by any of tamgas that are present on all the other spears shown here. Nevertheless, since some of them are quite cool and famous we show some below.
Hoppenrade, eastern Germany
This too comes from Jahn’s book.
Vimose, Funen, Denmark
This technically is not a spear but a sword scabbard but the left marking on this appears to be a tamga-like designation.
Ok so let’s map these tamga finds.
The makes clear that these tamga signs were not “Scandinavian” or “Nordic” in any common sense of the word. They are not found in central or west Germany or in France. On spears they appear primarily in Poland with a few examples also in the immediate surroundings. But the curious thing is that, outside of spear or lanceheads, they are found even earlier in the past – primarily in the Bosporan Kingdom but also in other places, including, again, in Poland. That is a topic for another time. In the meantime let’s look at some other spear finds that do not have tamga markings but do feature embroidery and runic symbols.
Of course there were many spears featuring various “patterns” that did not contain any tamga signs or runes or other characters such as these. In Poland you have examples such as these.
Prusiek, Poland
near Sanok
This comes from articles by Renata Madyda-Legutko, Judyta Rodzińska-Nowak and Joanna Zagórska-Telega. There apparently is also another Prusiek spear.
Or take a look at this.
Gródki, Poland
near Dzialdowo, Nidzica
(Grodtken near Soldau, Neidenburg)
For other decorated but not with tamga signs spears, check out the spear from Niemirow or Stara Rudowka.
And then there are quite a number of runic spears, mostly in Scandinavia or England such as these. They contain runes or other markings but not tamgas.
Wurmlingen, western Germany
The Wurmlingen speer certainly contains runes and other etchings but they do not appear to be similar to any known tamga signs. It is also much more recent, being dated apparently to the seventh century.
Vimose, Funen, Denmark
Back to Vimose again.
Øvre Stabu, Norway
Copyright ©2020 jassa.org All Rights Reserved