Head of a Ceremonial War Hammer ca. 1550 to ca. 1625 possibly Italian or French War hammers were carried as a sidearm by armored cavalrymen for much of the sixteenth century and generally have a hammer-like head opposite a spike or beak: one designed to strike a concussive blow, much like a mace, and the other to pierce or puncture. This example, although entirely of steel, is a ceremonial or symbolic weapon, distinguished by its extensive and exceptionally fine chiseled decoration.. Head of a Ceremonial War Hammer. possibly Italian or French. ca. 1550 to ca. 1625. Steel. Shafted Weapons