The angon (Medieval Greek ἄγγων, Old High German ango, Old English anga "hook, point, spike") was a type of javelin used during the Early Middle Ages by the Franks and other Germanic peoples including the Anglo-Saxons.[1] It was similar to, and probably derived from, the pilum used by the Roman army and had a barbed head and long narrow socket or shank made of iron mounted on a wooden haft.[1][2][3]
It was rare on the battlefield,[4] despite the claim by Agathias,[5] being found mostly in the grave goods of the wealthy.[4] The Fragmentary Chronicle of Saragossa credits an ango with killing King Amalaric of the Visigoths.[4] By the 7th century, it had ceased to be used.[4]
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Evidence for the length of insular Anglo-Saxon spears is limited, but based on grave finds it has been estimated that they ranged in length from 1.6 to 2.8 m (5 ft 3 in to 9 ft 2 in), compared to continental examples found at Nydam Mose in Denmark which range from 2.3 to 3 m (7 ft 7 in to 9 ft 10 in) long.[6] Although shorter and lighter spears with smaller heads were generally preferred for use as javelins,[7] an exception was the barbed angon, one of which was found at Abingdon with a head measuring 52.5 cm (20.7 in).[8] The barbs were designed to lodge in an opponent's shield (or body) so that it could not be removed and the long iron shank prevented the head from being cut from the shaft.[9] The Angon was likely designed for the purpose of disabling enemy shields, thus leaving combatants vulnerable, and disrupting enemy formations [10]. The shaft may sometimes have been decorated or painted, and iron or bronze rings were sometimes fitted onto it which may have marked the center of balance and thus the best place to hold the weapon.[6]
Before the battle lines joined and warriors engaged in hand to hand combat, they would attempt to thin the enemy ranks with ranged weapons. This would begin with archery, followed by an exchange of javelins and throwing axes prior to closing.[7] The scholar Agathias recorded the use of angons by Frankish warriors at the Battle of Casilinum in 554:
The poem recording the Battle of Maldon in Essex, England in 991 AD describes an encounter between the earl Byrhtnoth and a group of Vikings in which an exchange of javelins is made before the warriors draw their swords and engage in close combat.[11]
The maximum effective range of the angon and other javelins was probably 12 to 15 m (40 to 50 ft) depending on the length and weight of the weapon and the skill of the thrower.[9] It is not known to have been used in war beyond the 15th century, but during the 16th century it was used sporadically for hunting.[12]
