#spontoon

Homemade mini halberd and spontoon

The spontoon is a polearm that looks very similar to a partizan; a spear with a pair of lugs or blades to each side of the main spearhead used for parrying. The head of a spontoon is typically not as ornate as a partizan, but it serves the same purpose. It is largely a ceremonial weapon, and this example would have been used as a signaling device by British sergeants during the American Revolutionary War. The main military tactic at the time consisted of coordinated volleys of musket shots, so the spontoon was useful for directing those. It would also have been an effective tool in melee combat, since it is still a spear.

Spontoon, 27.05.2023 Czersk Castle

French, ca. 1600, housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Via the Met.

from The Philadelphia Museum of Art

Art Institute of Chicago