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Angon Javelin (angon)

Type Object Region Western Europe Time c. 200–500

The angon was a specialized throwing spear used by Germanic tribes such as the Franks and Saxons from the late Roman Empire through the Migration Per…

Timeline

  1. c. 200–350Gaul frontier · GaulFourth-century sources record that the angon javelin used by Frankish warriors had a slender head with a curved tail; once embedded in a shield it was hard to remove, forcing the enemy to abandon the shield or expose a weakness.
  2. c. 350–450Gaul · GaulIn the fifth century, when the Franks fought Roman legions and other Germanic tribes, infantry vollied angons before charging to break the enemy shield wall and formation, a typical tactical element of the Migration Period.
  3. c. 450–500Merovingian Frankish Kingdom · FranksIn Clovis's era the Frankish army still fielded the angon javelin, forming a thrown-melee equipment combination with the francisca throwing axe and the long sword; archaeological remains are found in the Rhine and Seine river basins.

Sources