New finds of medieval mace heads in the Nizhny Novgorod Volga region

The paper introduces into scientific circulation several previously unpublished medieval mace heads found during archaeological excavations on the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod Volga Region. Almost all mace heads date back to the 13th and 14th centuries except the flanged mace head found in Balakhna which dates back to a later time. The widespread use of maces and flanged maces is typical for the territories where well-equipped warriors fought protected with high-quality and effective defensive armament which had to be pierced with such a weapon. The area under study was a territory of contacts between Russian and Golden Horde armament traditions, with heavily armored warriors playing an important role, so that the mace heads and flanged mace heads finds in the area are not uncommon.