Archive for the 'Ancient' Category
On Tuesday the world will celebrate the most famous of the Irish holidays. Most will wear green, party with green beer and feast on corned beef and cabbage. The airways will be filled with the exotic music of Enya, Clannad, and the many other Irish musicians that produce the unique flowing sound that screams Ireland. Most everyone is aware of where Ireland is today, and what the country encompasses, but from where did this spirited, talented and renown people evolve?
Several Celtic burial sites have been excavated that reveal something of these hardy people. A rich princely grave was found in Hochdorf in Baden-Wurttemberg. This Celtic chieftain was found with a gold band around his neck, a gold armlet, a belt and shoes embellished with gold and an exquisite gold dagger. The couch he rested on was made of bronze, embossed with ritual dance figures, some of them wielding swords. Another Celtic settlement was unearthed at La Tene on the edge of Lake Neuchatel in Switzerland. The settlement was typical of a rich civilization which probably lasted from about 500 B.C. until the first century B.C. Some of the weapons that were found there related the Celtic genius for sophisticated curvilinear design and fantastic abstraction on natural themes. These Celtic swords were some of the most elegant weapons of any age. The sword often had a human head on the pommel, and sophisticated carving on the handle. Further attesting to the imagination and creative genius of these early Celts, the scabbard for these early swords was brilliantly decorated with dragons, bird pairs, triskele and other geometric designs, floral and animal motifs.
These were the swords that carried the Celts north into Britain and Belgium. In 390 Celts from Gaul invaded Italy and sacked Rome, the capital of the fledgling Roman Republic. The Greek historian Polybius, described the Celts at the battle of Telamon in 225 BC, says: ‘Very terrifying too were the appearance and the gestures of the naked warriors in front, all in the prime of life, and finely built men, and all in the leading companies richly adorned with gold torques and armlets.’ Another Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus spoke of the fighting style of the Celts, ‘they would raise their swords aloft and smite after the manner of wild boars, throwing the whole weight of their bodies into the blow like hewers of wood or men digging with mattocks, and again they would deliver crosswise blows aimed at no target, as if they intended to cut to pieces the entire bodies of their adversaries, protective armour and all……’ Celtic society was heroic and tribal, and the exploits of these great warriors were celebrated in poetry and song, echoes of which survive in epics, such as the Ulster Cycle, Tain Bo Cuailgne (The Cattle Raid of Cooley).
The Celts annihilated the Roman army of the Latin League. The complete defeat of the Latins forced the Romans to adapt or go under. The Celts with their superior swords and better conditioning led to the major changes that Rome made that resulted in the Empire. They copied the short sword of the Celts( gladius), developed the pilium (pole arm) and scutum (body shield). Some historians have asserted that the Celts were paid to leave Rome. Had the Celts not willingly left the Republic, then perhaps the Tiber would run green tomorrow.
In the romantic times of knights and kings, men went to war with swords and shields. A knight’s shield is his emblem of power and protection. These are made by craftsmen with the knowledge that this is often the only thing that separates the user from certain death.
Many shields are actually intricate works of art. That is because they carry the emblems of the army they belong to, or the nobleman’s crest. Displaying a medieval knight’s shield, such as the crusader shield is one great way to decorate your home and greet your guests. This will definitely be a good conversation piece for your parties. It is also said that these can help ward off or deflect bad luck from your home.
The Greek city-states were intensely competitive in sports as well as warfare. Inner-city wars were almost continuous, and this wasteful behavior weakened the whole country. This spirit was described in Homer’s Iliad when Achilles’ father Peleus urged him always to try to excel all other men. This competitiveness was to be desired in sports, artisitic and vocational endeavors but was chaos with the continuous warfare among the states.
This state of affairs resulted in each city state building up its military strength, and the result was what has been termed the “hoplite revolution”. The hoplites were heavily armed infantry. The body-armour of the hoplite consisted of a breastplate or cuirass (Chalcis), a helmet with nose and cheek guards (first seen at Corinth), and greaves-all of which were constructed of bronze. The Greeks learned these techniques from the east as China was the first civilization to develop the technique of bronze metal. The most vital protection of this Greek infantry was a round or elliptical round shield (Argos) secured to the left arm. They carried a short, straight iron sword (Chalcis) and a nine foot long thrusting spear.
The hoplites fought in a phalanx which is a close, tight mass of soldiers eight lines deep. They pursued the battle by shoving (othismos), and every man was responsible for protecting his neighbor. This form of fighting eliminated the hero of the battle which Homer praised. The age of ego was left in the past of ancient Greece, and the state was the major commitment to the hoplite warrior.
There are a number of Greek reenactment groups all over the world. If you were inspired the movie, “300″, joining a Greek reenactment group may be just the thing for you. Reenactment groups are a great way to meet people with interests like yours, and it is also an important in looking at the past, so we may navigate better in the future. It’s also just plain fun!
Man has always attempted to protect the valuable head from injury. Obviously the importance of the head was recognized even in prehistoric times. The caveman used the skins from his animal kills and placed the animal head over his own. He at least looked menacing to his enemies. This was adequate during the stone age, but when weapons became more substantial, the animal head was very little protection. During the Stone Age man learned to sharpen the tips of spears by subjecting the the weapon to a hot fire. These spears could easily pierce the head and heart with only animal skin protection for the body.
Our prehistoric ancestors then turned to the carcasses of animals and fish to afford a more substantial protection. Bones were used to build a more secure battle helmet that was not so easily penetrated by a sharp spear or axe. This was necessary because too many of the brave cave warriors had been knocked senseless by a spear to the head.
A more substantial battle helmet became necessary around 3000 to 3500 BCE when bronze smelting was developed in China. Bronze was a misnomer because 90% of the metal was copper, but by the next millennium bronze was the most dense metal the world had ever seen. Not everyone had access to the knowledge to develop bronze at the same time, therefore, those who did not possess the knowledge to produce the metal were overwhelmed by their more astute neighbors.
Bronze battle helmets were worn by the hoplite Greek army during many famous confrontations. King Leonidas wore a bronze helmet with a horsehair crest when they confronted the Persian Emperor Xerxes and the overwhelming Persian army in August 480 BCE. The place of this battle was called Thermopylae. It was one of the most courageous battles of the Greek democracy.
In the ancient ages of our world how knowledge spread was a very vital part of whether a culture, city-state or a nation survived. If an enemy knew the composition of metal smelting and they confronted a nation who was still wearing helmets of walrus tusk, the outcome was inevitable. At one time the one who had the best weapons and technology won, but is it still true today?
At one time in our existence the most formidable chariot won the battle. The number of soldiers involved in a battle was key to success. The best bomb was vital in the end of World War II. What is the winning element today?
In early the earliest of Medieval epics, ”Beowulf”, which recently was made into a movie, money meant very little. The old English word for cash was “feoh”. Beowulf was promised treasures for finding and killing Grendel, a dragon. He dives into the monster’s lake, and his first concern was him men. He then asked that they send his property to his family. When Beowulf received his gifts for the feat he performed, the poet remarks “he had no reason to feel shame before warriors.” He had attained the important things to be esteemed by his fellow man–gleaming helmets, bright shields, stacked spears and chainmail. However great all these weapons were, the ultimate status symbol was his sword–which had its own life.
Since the beginning of time, rivalry and the desire for domination have existed in our society. An early Biblical account relates the murder of Abel by his brother, Cain. He likely used his own body or a simple rock as the weapon.
In order to survive prehistoric man developed tools that were initially constructed for killing animals for food and clothing. Crude axes were built of wood and stone. In the end these weapons were used to conquer neighbors and settle disputes. In this simple manner families were conquered and alliances formed.
After many years of small conquests, finally in 2500 B.C. the first organized armies of record appeared in Mesopotamia, which is now modern day Iraq. There were several surviving artifacts of these ancient people. One of the most important and informative was an inscribed pillar known as the Stele of Vultures which depicts an army of men, wiedling spears, axes, daggers and javelins. These ancient weapons were probably constructed of bronze. Also shown on the Stele of Vultures was the early military tank–a two-man chariot pulled by donkeys.
Also surviving these ancient warriors was a finely constructed battle helmet. It was constructed of a gold and silver alloy and such an outstanding piece of armor was probably worn by the ruler.
I have often wondered if there are LARP societies that reenact these ancient historical events. Prehistoric man would obviously be fun in the sun. If reenactors utilized chariots, these could be developed using wagons that are boxed in. If you know of these societies, I would appreciate hearing from you.