flagpolesetc.com/blog/the-history-of-flagpoles

I posted above a website dedicated to flagpole history, which fails to discuss my question.

@SteveBird you may be right. Perhaps it is an Italian tradition. See: duckduckgo.com/?q=puntale+bandiera&t=ffocus&ia=web

it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandiera?wprov=sfti1 See also the “Descrizione” section, in which (#9) the “puntale” (spear point) is mentioned.

You should edit those comments into the question and perhaps provide some images to support these assertions.

If a Roman soldier was suddenly required to raise a Roman Standard as a rallying point during a battle, then it is likely that a spear would be more readily available than anything else. This is probably the nearest one will get to a realistic answer.

@Filippof Even the image in the WP page, which is of an Italian flag on an Italian national monument does not a "spear shaped" flagpole tip.... And the only reference to puntale is a legend of a schema of a flag, but nowhere in the text it says that the puntale must be "pointy" or "spear shaped".

For an Italian native speaker a “puntale” – even etymologically – can hardly be anything else than spear-shaped, provided that “puntale” is obviously rooted in “punta”, which – unsurprisingly – means “sharp tip”.

@Filippof The automatic translater returns 'finials' for 'puntale' which others have blindly assumed to be correct. That is why such quotes should be added to the original question with a proper translation as understood by native speaker.

The close voters should supply the link that supposedly answers this valid question. Since flags are derived from (battle) banners, the answer is more likely to be found there. The question should be adapted to reflect this and reopened so that knowledge may be gained and not smothered.

I made a new link to “war flag” Wikipedia article; hopefully that could reopen the question and better address the discussion.

@Mark Johnson: I suspect that close votes are actually because the question is based on the (seemingly) false assumption that most flagpole tips are spear shaped. From casual observation, in the US most are balls, distantly followed by eagles. I don't recall ever having seen a spear-shaped one. Of course other countries might have different cultural traditions.

@Filippof In modern times flags on land are usually displayed three ways, 1) hanging, 2) clipped to a rope and raised up a permanently located flagpole, and 3) attached to a pole which is carried by people. # 2) flag poles are usually topped with spheres, # 3) flag "poles" are often tipped with spearheads, and are sometimes called lances, spears, or pikes. Perhaps you should explain what type of flag "poles" you are talking about. And maybe look at this for definition of terms: crwflags.com/fotw/flags/vxt-dtoc.html

@MAGolding: I agree with your observation: my question should likely be restricted to flagpoles wielded by people, which (at least in Italy) are mostly similar to pikes.

@MAGolding: BTW, very fine link, the one you submitted. In Appendix I, a “spear-like” flagpole is actually showed (the finial is a sharp pointed design).

@Filippof Adding an image with this information, togeather with your puntale explanation (which the automatic translater is incorrectly translating), to the original question would make things clearer.

@Filippof See also here: crwflags.com/fotw/flags/xf-fina.html Military flags, colors, standards, and gudions, are carried on spear like poles that usually have spear heads. A cavalry soldier in the US civil War speared a rebel with the spearhead of his guidon. Anti-king Rudolf of Rhinfelden was mortally wounded at the Battle of Elster 14 October 1080; his hand as cut off and he was stabbed in the abdomen. A later writer, William of Tyre, claimed that Godfrey of Bouillon was the imperial banner bearer and lanced Rudolf with the spearhead of the imperial banner.

@MarkJohnson: an image is now provided (from crwflags.com).

@Filippof Is spearhead actually closer to your under understanding of puntale?

@MarkJohnson yep, it is.

@Filippof I was thinking more of a real image showing how itvis used in Italy. My understanding of the word finials is more like a connector.

@MarkJohnson As pointed out already by Steve Bird, the link provided by the OP in the first comment on the question demonstrates that that statement "usually flagpoles resemble spears [sic]" is not necessarily true. That link is therefore, IMO, enough to answer the question.

@sempaiscuba Who ever wrote that obviously has never seen an image of a French war flag, so that information is misleading.

@MarkJohnson Perhaps, but equally, I can walk through London and point out dozens of flag-poles where the finial is not spear-shaped. At the very least, the assertion that flagpole finials are spear-shaped needs more evidence to support it.

Posting a link that casts doubt on the main basis for the question is an ... interesting ... approach. Nevertheless, that link does provide the answer (that answer being "They frequently aren't spear-shaped")