Mendeley  

Zotero  

Jalili S, Dehpahlavan M. (2025). Assessment of the Arrowhead Impact on Armor Using the Finite Element Method (FEM): A Case Study of Iron Age II and III Arrowheads from the Qareh Tepe Segzabad Cemetery. JRA. 11(1), doi:10.61186/jra.11.1.394
URL: http://jra-tabriziau.ir/article-1-394-en.html

Upon the arrival of the first millennium BCE and the growing prominence of archery in the armies of the Near East, the number of arrowheads discovered in Iron Age cemeteries, settlements, and fortifications in the western Iranian Plateau and adjacent areas increased. Alongside this increase, diverse and sometimes novel forms, such as socketed trilobate arrowheads, appeared in the region, which cannot be considered a normal characteristic for a highly consumed weapon like the arrow. The reason for this diversification can provide significant insights into weapon engineering and design capabilities during this period. Therefore, using the Abaqus simulation software based on the Finite Element Method (FEM), an experiment was designed to reconstruct the performance of the weapons of that period under various conditions. To this end, three distinctive bronze arrowhead types from the findings of the 2015 and 2016 excavations at the East Cemetery of Qareh Tepe Segzabad, and one type from the findings at Persepolis, were selected. A total of 16 simulated firings against two common defensive coverings of this period—scale armor and linen armor—were studied. The selected types were tested at distances of 7.5, 15, and 30 meters across two different terminal velocity ranges from angular bows (63.2−74.2 m/s) and B-shaped bows (64.3−75.4 m/s). Based on the results, by considering perforation ability as the criterion for assessing the arrowheads in the simulated conditions, the geometric properties of the arrowheads and the mechanical properties of the armor were the determining factors. Thus, only the arrowhead tipped with a pyramidal blade (Badkin) recorded the best efficiency in the perforation process due to its unique form. The other three samples successfully completed the process against linen armor, creating perforations with an area greater than 30 mm², but none posed a serious threat to a soldier equipped with scale armor. It appears from the statistical sample of the selected arrowheads that the small quantity of the pyramidal type compared to the other three, despite its suitable performance against armored targets, likely indicates a lower number of armored soldiers and targets relative to unarmored forces in the armies of the region, at least until the 6th century BCE.