Recently, on one of the thematic forums I saw a typical topic. “Dear forum members, help in identifying items.” And, a whole series of photographs of iron arrowheads. I became interested because even before I became interested in being a cop, I came across such a topic on one historical forum. The forum was dedicated to Batu’s invasion of Rus’. And, there, the topic of Mongolian arrowheads had the most acute format of sracha, may readers forgive me for the slang. But the cultural word “dispute” cannot call that hell in the comments.
So what is the essence of those same forum disagreements? One side assured that there was no Mongol invasion of Rus’. Which, in the opinion of this side, is confirmed by the absence of Mongolian arrowheads in the layers of fires in ancient Russian cities. The other side of the discussion topic was based on the scientific works of respected Soviet archaeologists, who clearly assured that it was possible to determine ethnicity and time period from arrowheads. But, only in very extremely rare cases.
I tried to understand this topic myself and this is what I found in the scientific work of O.V. Dvurechensokgo “Arrowheads of Muscovite Rus’ and the Russian State” in this work an example is given that during excavations in the Kolomna region settlements of the 17th century in one cultural layer Iron, bronze and bone arrowheads were found, as well as crossbow bolt tips.
Based on this example, we can understand that dating using arrowheads can only be done in the context of an entire cultural layer. And any assumptions about the age of an arrowhead found outside the context of a cultural layer may be of a probable nature.
As for the shapes, sizes and functional features of certain tips? Here we can say with confidence that there are four types of tips. Look at the table.
As for determining ethnicity based on arrowheads, things are even more complicated. The fact is that there are about a hundred basic types of arrowheads. All these types of tips are found equally throughout the entire territory of the Eurasian continent. From the skeleton of Hokkaido to the Viking burials in Greenland.
But, for me, the main proof that it is impossible to determine a nation, tribe or horde by the shape of arrowheads was the absence of a single catalog. There are a large number of colorful and illustrated catalogs of bladed weapons. All examples are discussed there. What a year, what a war, what a warring faction. As for arrowheads, only individual works and then in the form of a description. Mound such and such, burial ground such and such, settlement such and such.
So it turns out that arrowheads are objects without time and space.
