most fiercely, a mace with a trefoil-shaped head flying through the air, as if hurled by one of the defending side (Fig. 81). This may be a primitive instance of the XVth century German throwing-axe or Wurfbeil. The throwing-axe was certainly known to the English in the XIth century, as King Cnut ordered "the throw of an axe" as a space measure.
The javelin, a slender weapon with a barbed head, in bundles of four or more, is carried by some of the knights of Harold's army.
The Norman bowmen also appear in large numbers in Duke William's attacking force, some clad in mail hauberks, and others apparently unarmoured, save for a small conical helmet (Fig. 82). The bows appear to be about four feet long, and of very strong build. Each archer bears a quiver, and, in some instances, holds in the bow hand a bunch of barbed arrows. The Conqueror placed great reliance upon his archers, and, according to Henry of Huntingdon, after his victory at Hastings, reproached the Saxons for their want of proficiency in the use of the bow.
The dagger, which was still but a useful domestic implement in the form of a back-edged knife, does not appear as part of the knightly military equipment. Those that have come down to us cannot, with any degree of accuracy, be sorted, and may be accredited to any one of the Xth, XIth, or XIIth centuries.
