Furlana war spike

ATTRIBUTION
ITEM
War spike
PERIOD
first half of the 16th century.
MATERIAL AND TECHNIQUE
Wood and steel
Furlana war spike
Among the polearms in the museum collection, this sixteenth century furlana, belonging to the substantial Chelucci-Palmerini store, is probably one of the few to be included among the weapons in use - that is to say actually used on the battlefield, and not for show. Derived from a hunting weapon, originally used against dangerous animals (for example wild boars and bears), the war spike was most famouly used in pikeman formations: the long and pointed iron made it suitable for stabbing, while the two side wings – known as raffi – allowed it to contain and fend off enemy blows. Among the possible forms of the war spike, this is known as “alla furlana”, because it is typical of infantry from the Friuli region (it is actually also included in the coat of arms of the City of Trieste).