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LOT 1376
Medieval Iron Caltrop Anti-Cavalry Group
13TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
3 - 3 3/4 in. (599 grams total, 77-96 mm).
A group of ten iron anti-cavalry caltrops, hand-forged with square-section spikes. [10, No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
LiteratureCf. Žákovský, P., ‘Caltrop. Contribution to the knowledge of one neglected weapon’ in Studia Minora Facultatis Philosophicae Universitatis Brunensis, M 12-13, 2007-2008, pp.115-132, fig.9, nos.2,3,4,5 (type 3 of Žákovský classification).
FootnotesP. Žákovský has been able to classify medieval caltrops, mainly from the 13th to 15th century A.D., on the basis of their morphology, into four main typologies, each with different variants. Caltrops with single-pointed spikes, whose interpretation, however, is often ambiguous belong to type I. The other three types represent classic four-pointed caltrops, and individual types in this group differ from one another just in their cross-section.
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