Hello, I’m Kahlen Robinson and I’ve been volunteering at the Wiltshire Museum for several months, and these are some of the items I have found the most interesting in the museum.

Saxon weaponry

Saxon weaponry varied a lot throughout the time they inhabit Britain, their weapons typically varied from spears to swords and occasionally bows.

Back in the day archery was a very sought after trait and was used to typically sway the way the battle may end; since they could fight from afar, they had less chance of dying in combat and could still be a huge asset in a war effort, however few fought this way as the most typical weapon used by Saxons weren’t just used in wars but became a common item in day to day life was the spear not only used for a projectiles in war but also used as a tool to catch their prey and was often used for various tasks.

Swords were also used in battles and when hunting and it was shown as great sign of respect for someone to be buried with one as it meant they were a good warrior and was well respected as typically in Anglo Saxon times they believed when you buried someone you would need to equip them with what they would need in the afterlife, an example of this is a bent spear head shown in the exhibition typically believed to be placed next to a person during the burial process so they could fight what may be lurking in the afterlife however they would bend it so it would be rendered useless in the over world in case they ever chose to attack the living.

I chose the bent spear as an object of interest as it’s a very interesting concept of how they perceived life and death and the rituals and reasoning behind the value of burying the person with equipment in case they need to fight in the afterlife.