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Utrecht Psalter, Psalm 43 - f.25r lower
A larger image of Utrecht Psalter, Psalm 43 - f.25r lower
The Utrecht Psalter gets its name from the fact that it has been housed in Utrecht University Library since 1716. There is still some doubt about when and where it was made. However, that it dates back to the second quarter of the ninth century and that it was made in Reims or in the nearby monastery of Hautvilliers is by now accepted by most experts. The Utrecht Psalter is regarded as the masterpiece of the so-called Reims school of manuscript illumination which also dates back to this period.
Source: Universiteit Utrecht
SIEGE OF A FORTIFIED TOWN
This depiction of a besieged Biblical site is copied from the Utrecht Psalter. Although the size of the illustration makes it difficult to determine details of arms and armor, it nicely shows how these were used in military conflict. Spears are carried at rest by soldiers inside the city, but cavalry use the spears overhand when attacking. The spears lying on the ground may indicate that some were thrown, although at least one horseman uses the weapon to thrust down at the infantry soldier below him. Swords are also used, as slashing weapons by the cavalry and thrusting weapons by the infantry. The only distinctive protection shown is the shield, round and convex in shape, with a large boss that rises out of the shield to a point. Shields are used by both infantry and cavalry.
Source: p.239, Medieval Weapons: An Illustrated History of Their Impact eds. Kelly DeVries & Robert D. Smith (2007)
