Or alternatively a foot-long lenth of iron placed crosswise through the shaft (which was usually about two inches thick). That did tend to help. As long as you could keep hold of your end of the spear with a boar kebab-ed on the other end.

Then again, they only tended to charge when given no option (or wounded, say by sticking a spearhead into them ... [grin])

Back to (course)work ... but at least I'm getting somewhere ...