Academia.eduAcademia.edu

Figure 3 – uploaded by Deyan Rabovyanov

See full PDFdownloadDownload figure
Fig. 3: Bone crossbow plates from Vilnius Castle. After Rackevicius 2007, 62, Fig. 3. the solidity. In most of the cases the plate back is scratched in order to facilitate sticking to the stock, but there are always two or three holes for wedges ensuring additional fixation’. The preserved monuments from that type originating from an archeological environment chronologically close to the find in Trapezitsa are mainly from Central and Eastern Europe (Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania and Scandinavia) (Fig. 3)°. They are dated from the end of the 14 century at their earliest, but mainly from the 15 and 16" century and are from the more developed profiled form.

Figure 3 Bone crossbow plates from Vilnius Castle. After Rackevicius 2007, 62, Fig. 3. the solidity. In most of the cases the plate back is scratched in order to facilitate sticking to the stock, but there are always two or three holes for wedges ensuring additional fixation’. The preserved monuments from that type originating from an archeological environment chronologically close to the find in Trapezitsa are mainly from Central and Eastern Europe (Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania and Scandinavia) (Fig. 3)°. They are dated from the end of the 14 century at their earliest, but mainly from the 15 and 16" century and are from the more developed profiled form.

Related Figures (4)

The plate was found during the archeological research conducted in 2011 in the Southem Section of Trapezitsa — the second stronghold of the medieval Bulgarian capital Tarnovgrad, in Veliko Tarnovo. It was found in a waste pit and its stratigraphic position and the 20 coins found in it show beyond a doubt that its filling up was done in the ‘50s of the 14” century. That also renders certainty to the dating of the period when the object went out of circulation. Since the second half of the 12" and until the middle of 15™ century the crossbow is the main projectile weapon in greater part of Western and Central Europe’. Notwithstanding the domineering of the composite bow in Eastern Europe and the Middle East the crossbow is also a popular weapon here, especially in wars at sea and fortress besieging. This can be observed not only in regions with Western European influence like the Baltics and Northwest Russia” but also where recognition of this weapon was slower, as Byzantium during the 14" century’. In fact the crossbow is a weapon used for a long time in the Arab world’, very typical for Maghreb. However, only recently there has been paid attention to the role of the crossbow in the Second Bulgarian Empire. The data from the archeological research showed that during the 14" century its importance is far greater than it was previously suspected> . It is a newly found artifact related to this weapon — a bone plate from a crossbow stock (Figs. 1, 2) — that is the subject of this study. It is not only a certain dated evidence for the usage of cross- bow in medieval Bulgaria, but it is the first monument of that type originating there.
The plate was found during the archeological research conducted in 2011 in the Southem Section of Trapezitsa — the second stronghold of the medieval Bulgarian capital Tarnovgrad, in Veliko Tarnovo. It was found in a waste pit and its stratigraphic position and the 20 coins found in it show beyond a doubt that its filling up was done in the ‘50s of the 14” century. That also renders certainty to the dating of the period when the object went out of circulation. Since the second half of the 12" and until the middle of 15™ century the crossbow is the main projectile weapon in greater part of Western and Central Europe’. Notwithstanding the domineering of the composite bow in Eastern Europe and the Middle East the crossbow is also a popular weapon here, especially in wars at sea and fortress besieging. This can be observed not only in regions with Western European influence like the Baltics and Northwest Russia” but also where recognition of this weapon was slower, as Byzantium during the 14" century’. In fact the crossbow is a weapon used for a long time in the Arab world’, very typical for Maghreb. However, only recently there has been paid attention to the role of the crossbow in the Second Bulgarian Empire. The data from the archeological research showed that during the 14" century its importance is far greater than it was previously suspected> . It is a newly found artifact related to this weapon — a bone plate from a crossbow stock (Figs. 1, 2) — that is the subject of this study. It is not only a certain dated evidence for the usage of cross- bow in medieval Bulgaria, but it is the first monument of that type originating there.
Fig. 2: Bone crossbow plate from Trapezitsa, graphic H. Hubanov. both sides of the groove there are drilled two circular holes which are 0,4 in diameter. They are also not symmetrical compared to each other. Other three holes with the same size surround the groove base in the profile formed triangular side of the plate. The five holes were used for wedge nailing of the plate to the weapon’s wooden stock. The holes are little wider and irregular from the side of the round back of the plate, which shows that the drilling was done from that side.
Fig. 2: Bone crossbow plate from Trapezitsa, graphic H. Hubanov. both sides of the groove there are drilled two circular holes which are 0,4 in diameter. They are also not symmetrical compared to each other. Other three holes with the same size surround the groove base in the profile formed triangular side of the plate. The five holes were used for wedge nailing of the plate to the weapon’s wooden stock. The holes are little wider and irregular from the side of the round back of the plate, which shows that the drilling was done from that side.
Several plate fragments (Fig. 5) were found in the Eastern tower of the fortification Caévina in Croatia that protected an important road from the coast of Middle Dalmatia to Cetjinska Krajina and Southeast Bosnia. However, their dating is only approximate and is after the middle of the 14" century”. They reflect the growing popularity of the crossbow as a weapon after the ‘70s of the 14° century on the Dalmatia coast under Italian influence!!. The peculiarities in the form and measures of the plate from Trapezitsa point to specific conclusions. Its length on its evenly cut polished front end indicates that it was a part of a compound plank. This means the space between the trigger and the bow of the crossbow is overcome through two or three touching parts. Although a rare decision, this is not an exception, probably due to lack of appropriate material for the making of a whole plate. In this case it is difficult to estimate the original length of this element. Due to the usage of shorter, although with greater force of strain composite and steel bows in the 15'" and 16" century, the arrows and respectively the plates between the weapon’s "nut" and bow became shorter’. However, this tendency began as early as the middle of the 14°" century in Germany'?. In this manner the plates that are objects of our interest are not longer than 26 — 28 cm in the 15" century. Taking into consideration that as a whole the arrows from the period before the 15" century are longer, it has to be assumed the presence of one more, and even more likely — two more plates with rectangular form that were about 10 cm in length for the weapon that the find in Trapezitsa belonged to.
Several plate fragments (Fig. 5) were found in the Eastern tower of the fortification Caévina in Croatia that protected an important road from the coast of Middle Dalmatia to Cetjinska Krajina and Southeast Bosnia. However, their dating is only approximate and is after the middle of the 14" century”. They reflect the growing popularity of the crossbow as a weapon after the ‘70s of the 14° century on the Dalmatia coast under Italian influence!!. The peculiarities in the form and measures of the plate from Trapezitsa point to specific conclusions. Its length on its evenly cut polished front end indicates that it was a part of a compound plank. This means the space between the trigger and the bow of the crossbow is overcome through two or three touching parts. Although a rare decision, this is not an exception, probably due to lack of appropriate material for the making of a whole plate. In this case it is difficult to estimate the original length of this element. Due to the usage of shorter, although with greater force of strain composite and steel bows in the 15'" and 16" century, the arrows and respectively the plates between the weapon’s "nut" and bow became shorter’. However, this tendency began as early as the middle of the 14°" century in Germany'?. In this manner the plates that are objects of our interest are not longer than 26 — 28 cm in the 15" century. Taking into consideration that as a whole the arrows from the period before the 15" century are longer, it has to be assumed the presence of one more, and even more likely — two more plates with rectangular form that were about 10 cm in length for the weapon that the find in Trapezitsa belonged to.
Related topics:
Bulgarian archaeology
580 California St., Suite 400
San Francisco, CA, 94104
© 2025 Academia. All rights reserved