EUROPEAN CRUSADERS MACE

13th century. Maces of this type are known largely from their images on sculpture, tapestries and paintings. Surviving examples are very rare and always excavated. See Arms & Armour of the Crusading Era 1050-1350, Nicolle, fig. 221 for a similar example. This example is 2 1/8 diameter with 11 peripheral elongated lugs divided top and bottom by smaller triangular lugs. The interior is slightly hollowed which provides a pocket for adhesive as well as moving the mass slightly to the perimeter. These small maces were used by European horsemen to attack the lightly protected Saracens. Later iron maces and those used within Europe were much heavier. A very rare example specifically identifiable to the Crusades and easily remounted to a long plain wood haft.