After successfully concluding archaeological research campaigns at two Roman military camps near Bad Ems, the findings and discoveries have been presented to the public in Mainz. For the first time, researchers have managed to recover sharply pointed wooden stakes from a Roman defensive trench (1st century AD) virtually intact. So far, this defense technique and […]
Weapons
Posted inModern Era
The Shield-Lantern, a Renaissance Gadget to Fight at Night Blinding the Adversary
The Kunsthistorisches Museum or Museum of Art History in Vienna is one of the most important of its kind in the world. It houses significant collections of art, archaeology, numismatics, and applied arts, including the imperial treasury and the most outstanding collection of works by Rubens, Velázquez, Dürer, Caravaggio, Brueghel, and many others. It also […]
Posted inModern Era
Vespa 150 TAP, the Stunning Anti-Tank Cannon Scooter of the Indochina and Algeria Wars
We’ve reviewed more than one peculiar weapon here, someones even extravagant. Today we’ll continue in that line with the Vespa 150 TAP which, as you can deduce from its name, was a scooter but unheard of, as it had an incorporated anti-tank cannon; that’s why it was also known as the Vespa Bazooka. Although it […]
Posted inArchaeology
Weapons and Wooden Tools Dating Back 1900 Years Found inside a Cave in Queretaro, Mexico
In a small gallery of the Cave of Treasure in Cadereyta de Montes, Querétaro, the federal Ministry of Culture, through a team from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), recovered one of the few sets of hunting tools from pre-Hispanic times discovered in Mexico to date. It consists of an atlatl (spear) and […]
Posted inArchaeology
Vandal or Gothic Tribal Weapons from the Roman Empire Times Unearthed in Poland
The beginning of 2024 brought an accidental archeological discovery in Poland’s Hrubieszów region. Mr. Mateusz Filipowicz was exploring the state-owned forests near Hrubieszów when he came across a cache of several iron objects. At first, it was difficult to identify the items due to heavy corrosion and mud coating the metal. Everything was clustered together […]
Posted inBronze Age Archaeology
Seven Bronze Age swords and a treasure with 6,000 silver coins unearthed in Germany
The State Office for Culture and Monument Preservation (LAKD) presented on Wednesday three valuable discoveries made last year by volunteer archaeologists in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. These include seven Bronze Age swords, 6,000 silver coins from the 11th century, and a treasure with a reliquary, also from the 11th century. During the presentation of the findings, Culture […]
Posted inBronze Age Archaeology
Discovery of Hundreds of Ancient Sling Stones Dating Back 7200 Years Provides Earliest Evidence of War in the Near East
Archaeologists in Israel have uncovered the earliest evidence of organized warfare in the southern Levant region. A recent study published in the journal Atiqot 111 revealed hundreds of sling stones dating back around 7,200 years. The discovery provides insight into conflict and weapon production during the Early Chalcolithic period (5800-4500 BCE). The research was conducted […]
Posted inAncient Rome, Antiquity
When Roman women donated their hair for catapults
Algarradas, ballistas, catapults, onagers, trebuchets… All these projectile-launching weapons were used in antiquity and remained in force later, in the Middle Ages -some were specifically created in that period-, until the spread of gunpowder and the appearance of artillery made them obsolete. They had two characteristics in common: first, they were used in sieges; second, […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
The Oldest Long-distance Weapons, Identified in Belgium, are 31,000 Years Old
Archaeologists in Belgium have made an incredible discovery that changes our understanding of prehistoric technology. Researchers at the University of Liege’s TraceoLab found evidence that hunter-gatherers were using long-range weapons over 31,000 years ago. This discovery predates the oldest known harpoons by about 10,000 years and shows that ancient humans innovated powerful new hunting techniques […]
