Arms and Armor Studies

El ejército visigodo

by Rafael Barroso Cabrera

co-authored with J. Morín de Pablos y A. Martínez Tejera.

The Visigoth army was made up most of the infantry contingent. In any case, in contrast to rest of the German people,... more The Visigoth army was made up most of the infantry contingent. In any case, in contrast to rest of the German people, the Visigoths had a powerful cavalry arm mainly thanks to their col1aboration with the Ostrogoths, who had known about them through the Sarmatian knights. The Goth aristocracy used to like mounted combats and made a sort of privative way of life that resulted on the Middle Age Knights' way of life.

Un guerrero andalusí de época taifa

by Rafael Barroso Cabrera

Co-authored with J. Morín de Pablos y A. Martínez Tejera

An archeological discovering happened by the mid 90's in a cave in Lietor (Albacete, Spain). Many agricultural... more An archeological discovering happened by the mid 90's in a cave in Lietor (Albacete, Spain). Many agricultural implements and domestic tools were found and also pieces of military equipment.
The soldiers-peasants in Al-Andalus were soldiers who accomplished military tasks and were given lands as a way of compensation. This system dated from the Late and Byzantine Empires. We are allowed to suppose this was the character of this familiar nucleus found in Lietor, as together with the agricultural implements, a warrior's "trousseau" has been discovered.

Testimonios materiales de las primeras invasiones

by Rafael Barroso Cabrera

Co-authored with J. Morín de Pablos y A. Martínez Tejera

The first Barbarian wave took place in 409 BC as a consequence of the Hispania's civil war between two usurpers,... more The first Barbarian wave took place in 409 BC as a consequence of the Hispania's civil war between two usurpers, Constantinus III and Gerontius. Both were fighting one another and against the Roman legal emperor Honorius.
During this period of serious political instability one of the sides was helped by Vandals, Swabians and Alains, who realizing this territory defenselessness, used to systematically sack the big cereal-producing "villas".
This first wave left archeological important traces; we can refer to the exploitation of devastated villas. The ruins in Tinto Juan de la Cruz are related to the widespread destructions, which can be appreciated in this kind of exploitations during the first half of 5th century. In Madrid, this phenomenon that consisted in the previous destruction and then the reuse, can also be appreciated in the Complutensis town of El Val. We can think of a large group of Barbarians and some assimilated natives living provisionally in these ruined "villas" and making good use of the roads for sorne sporadic sacking.
A further study on the weaponry is more complicated, as most of the times, these seem to be built using materials, which carne from the villa remaining (so chronologically previous). This can be clearly appreciated if considering the knife in Simancas' style or the sawn off shield. As far as the lances and arrows' tips are considered we are not able to know if these were made with recycled material or newly made by Barbarians. As far as the lances are considered, these are supposed to be from the villa, related to the Dominus' hunting activities (we have taken into consideration the arising of deer horns near a garbage dump together with very different materials from the villa like bronze door rivets). Nevertheless, the use of lances was very extended among Barbarian groups as shown by sorne plastic depictions and literary sources.

Le armi leggere e di piccolo calibro: commercio mondiale e traffici illeciti

by Andrea Edoardo Varisco

Published in Archivio Disarmo, Sistema Informativo a Schede, May-June 2008, and re-published by Inchiesta, No. 162, October/December 2008

Caballeros Teutones

by Rafael Barroso Cabrera

co-authored with J. Morín de Pablos y A. Martínez Tejera

The Teutonic Order was born as German Knights intended simulating the Templar and Hospitalier ideals developed in Holy... more The Teutonic Order was born as German Knights intended simulating the Templar and Hospitalier ideals developed in Holy Land. They pretended uniting in an only one Order both knighthood and welfare-medical ideals. Nevertheless once the German participation in the Crusades was finished, the Teutonic knights decided not to dissolve the Order. Far from it, they preferred continue working in their homeland. During 13th and 14th centuries the Teutonic Knights became the main fighting forces for the German expansion to the East. They built a real estate in both the Prussian territories and the Northern Poland, and some time even destroyed Christian principalities. A war legitimated by the ideals of fighting against Infidels according to Christian ideas became an expansionist policy in order to intensely Germanize the occupied territories.

Getaryggen 1567 - ett slagfält från Nordiska Sjuårskriget (årsrapport 2011) / Getaryggen 1567 - a Battlefield from the Nordic Seven Years War

by Claes Pettersson

Annual report from an ongoing reasearch project. Published by Miliseum / Jönköping County Museum

In late atumn 1567 a Danish army led by by the excellent commander Daniel Rantzau advanced north towards the castle of... more In late atumn 1567 a Danish army led by by the excellent commander Daniel Rantzau advanced north towards the castle of Jönköping. Their aim was to strike a decisive blow against the heartland of the Swedish realm, thus forcing the enemy to surrender or at least negotiate. What today is know as the Nordic Seven Years War had been going on since 1563 and the war-weariness spread rapidly among both soldiers and the ordinary population. And even more important - the treasuries in both countries were almost empty, meaning that armies consisting of mercenaries could not be kept together as fighting units much longer. Something had to be done.

The offensive of october 1567 followed the main highway from the Danish costal province of Halland into the neighbouring Swedish county of Småland. Here the primitive road followed the Nissan river valley. Despite the hilly terrain, dense woodland and late atumn rains Rantzau managed to lead his force to Jönköping in ten days, an impressive feat considering the fact that the army numbered 8 000 men, including cavalry, artillery and a large wagon train with supplies and followers.

For most of the time the outnumbered Swedish defenders kept their distance, avoiding open combat. Instead they blocked the road by felling trees and destroying bridges. But about 20 km southwest of Jönköping a blockhouse and some simple field fortifications in a good defensive position were manned by about 1000 men, both regular soldiers and local militia. The place was wisely chosen, being a hill and a flanking ridge overlooking the highway just where it left a long narrow causeway after having crossed a bog. But against the defenders came some of the best soldiers of their time; Danish, Scottish and German mercenaries led by Christoffer von Dohna. They were the vanguard of Rantzaus main army, also counting about 1000 men. But they were far better equipped, battlewise and expertly led. So, after a first skirmish and some initial losses von Dohna let loose his cavalry unit in a flanking movement while his infantry pushed uphill, along the road. The Swedish position was overrun and what can best be described as a slaughter started when the defenders tried to flee. Then followed the sacking of the Swedish camp.

Still, the Swedish High Command had reached their goal. By delaying Rantzau's army for several hours they got the time needed to destroy the bridges and causeways across the vast Dumme Mosse bog. And by doing so, winning another day on the Danish advance, they managed to evacuate and burn their own town and fortress, Jönköping, thus depriving Rantzau of an important base for a winter offensive. It was right - in theory. But instead of retreating to Danish territory the enemy commander pushed on into the rich county of Östergötland. There the army stayed, sacking and plundering, into the winter months of 1568 when lack of reinforcements resulted in a long march south, back to Denmark. In the end nothing had been achieved and the war went on for another three years...

Rantzau's offensive and the battle of Getaryggen has been the focus for a research project, managed by the Miliseum Museum in Skillingaryd and Jönköpings County Museum. The actual battlefield has been located and surveyed in 2010 and 2011. Despite a terrain quite unsuitable for metal detectors a number of finds tells the story of an almost forgotten conflict some 444 years ago. Lead bullets are few, but instead there are crossbow bolts, a short sword, knives, horse equipment and some tools that might have been used as "weapons" by the local militia. It has been possible to interpret the battle by using Rantzaus own war diary, topographical observations and the distribution of the finds. And today the battlefield is registered as an ancient monument and is given legal protection against plundering.

So far, so good. But now it's time to go one step further with the 1567-project. Having found the battlefield, our aim is to begin looking at the consequences of this conflict. Written sources tells us about an almost total devastation; of farms, villages and churches burned or plundered. Of a population starving in the harsh winter of 1568. Here is an important field of research as Småland today is seen as the most peaceful part of the world one could ever imagine. But following in the tracks of Rantzau's army you begin to see things quite differently. Because once this was a region harried by border wars over and over again...

The head of mace-"klevets" from medieval settlement Kopnino-1 / Навершие булавы-«клевца» с селища Копнино–1

by Andrei Negin

Навершие булавы-«клевца» с селища Копнино–1 Нижегородские исследования по археологии и краеведению. – Н. Новгород: Изд-во ННГУ, 2009. – Вып. 11.

This article deals with unique finding of Golden Horde mace from the medieval settlement of the 14th century. This article deals with unique finding of Golden Horde mace from the medieval settlement of the 14th century.

Miroslav Vujović, RIMSKI ŠLEM IZ SIVCA – ROMAN HELMET FROM SIVAC, Gradski muzej Sombor, Sombor 2008 Velika Dautova-Ruševljan, Miroslav Vujović, KASNOANTIČKI ŠLEM IZ JARKA – LATE ROMAN HELMET FROM JARAK, Muzej Vojvodine, Novi Sad 2011

by Ivan Bugarski

Glasnik Srpskog arheološkog društva 26 (2010), Beograd 2011.

Attribution of some early firearm items from the collection of A. A. Catoire de Bioncourt

by Anna Gerasimova

ТРУДЫ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОГО ИСТОРИЧЕСКОГО МУЗЕЯ
ВЫПУСК 188
ПРОБЛЕМЫ АТРИБУЦИИ ПАМЯТНИКОВ
ДЕКОРАТИВНО-ПРИКЛАДНОГО ИСКУССТВА
Материалы
I научно-практической конференции
13–16 октября 2009 г.
(Часть I)
© Исторический музей, 2011.

‘Ambushes and Armour in the War of Independence: The Kilmichael Ambush Reconsidered’

by W. H. Kautt

History Ireland, Volume 18 - Issue 3 (May/June 2010)

La signification des motifs à fleurs sur les armes et armures iraniennes

by Arun Singh

Co-authored with Dr Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani. Published in print version in Revue de Teheran (Feb. 2012).

(rec.) W. Sarnecki & D. Nicolle, “Medieval Polish Armies 966 – 1500″, Osprey Publishing, Men-at-Arms 445

by Piotr A. Nowakowski

Acta Militaria Medievalia, t. 4, Sanok 2008, s. 251 - 257

O potrzebie upowszechniania terminologii bronioznawczej. Uwagi na marginesie pracy B. Trubnikova “Leksykon broni i uzbrojenia"

by Piotr A. Nowakowski

Kwartalnik Historii Kultury Materialnej, R. 51, 1/2000, Warszawa 2000, s. 73 - 78

(rec.) W. Kwaśniewicz, “Leksykon uzbrojenia ochronnego"

by Piotr A. Nowakowski

Kwartalnik Historii Kultury Materialnej, R. 55, 2/2005, Warszawa 2005, s. 23 - 26

Średniowieczne kafle jako źródło poznania uzbrojenia

by Piotr A. Nowakowski

Arma et Medium Aevum, Studia nad uzbrojeniem średniowiecznym, ed P. Kucypera, P. Pudło, G. Żabiński, Toruń 2009, s. 116 - 139. Co-authored with dr O. Ławrynowicz

Średnioweczne militaria z miasta kazimierzowskiego w Radomiu

by Piotr A. Nowakowski

Radom i region radomski w świetle badań archeologicznych. Biuletyn Kwartalny Radomskiego Towarzystwa Naukowego, t. XLIV, z. 1-4, Radom 2022; (Co-authored with G. Barczyk, mgr P. Pudło)

(In Katsujinken, March 2012): Tactics, Weapons and Techniques of Persian Warriors in the Book of Kings - Part One

by Arun Singh

Co-authored with Dr Manouchehr M Khorasani and Hessamoddin Shafeian. Katsujinken, March 2012.

Pre-order now to obtain a copy.

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Stove tiles as a source of knowledge about medieval and Early Modern arms and armour

by Piotr A. Nowakowski

Studies of Post-mediaeval Archaeology 3, Praga 2008, s. 10 - 28 (Co-authored with dr O. Ławrynowicz)

Fragment of a Late Roman Parade Helmet from Singidunum

by Ivan Bugarski

Singidunum 4, Beograd 2005.

A contribution to the study of lamellar armors

by Ivan Bugarski

Starinar LV/2005, Beograd 2006.