Learnings: A Warrior's Tools

The Yarm Helmet, a rare example of Anglo-Scandinavian helmet / 10th cent.

The wealthiest aristocrats would have been relatively well-equipped with a sword, shield, helmet, and armour. High-ranking members of the nobility would likely have worn a coat of mail beneath a dense, tough tunic to protect themselves from enemy blows.

When a ceorl, or a freeman, was summoned by his lord to join the fyrd, or militia, he would have been armed with a spear, a round shield, and possibly a boiled leather helmet. Some ceorls would also have carried javelins, bows, and arrows.

Even though bows and arrows were useful as long-range weapons, they were not highly regarded by Anglo-Saxons. Bows were considered beginner weapons rather than the tools of veteran warriors. Anglo-Saxons may have looked down upon bows and arrows because they were cheap to make, and therefore appropriate for the lowborn rather than people of high status. This attitude may explain why so few arrowheads have been found by archaeologists, and why bows are so rarely mentioned in written accounts of the era.

Rare pieces of equipment from the era have been found: these offer great insight into warfare during this period. The Yarm Helmet, seen here, is not Anglo-Saxon but Anglo-Scandinavian; it was discovered in Britain in the 1950s. It is the first nearly complete Viking helmet found in Britain, and the second one found in Europe. The first was the Gjermundbu Helmet, which was found in 1943 on a farm in Norway. All other Viking helmets have been found as fragments.