Late Byzantine warrior 14th century

 

A fine Byzantine hagiography of Saint Mercurios, early 14^th century. His arms and armour are typical Byzantine of the Late period (church of Saint Clementios, Ochris).

Neolithic massacres: Conflicts in Neolithic Europe were more fierce that has been known to date

Republication from  sciencedaily.com/

Source:University of Basel

Violent conflicts in Neolithic Europe were held more brutally than has been known so far. This emerges from a recent anthropological analysis of the roughly 7000-year-old mass grave of Schöneck-Kilianstädten by researcher of the Universities of Basel and Mainz. The findings, published in the journal PNAS, show that victims were murdered and deliberately mutilated.

Lost in combat?

Republication from phys.org/

by University of Göttingen

These are the battlefield remains from the layer where objects were found at the site near the Tollense river in Weltzin. (Credit: Stefan Sauer)

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Recent archaeological investigations in the Tollense Valley led by the University of Göttingen, the State Agency for Cultural Heritage in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the University of Greifswald have unearthed a collection of 31 unusual objects. Researchers believe this is the personal equipment of a Bronze Age warrior who died on the battlefield 3,300 years ago. This unique find was discovered by a diving team headed by Dr. Joachim Krüger, from the University of Greifswald, and seems to have been protected in the river from the looting, which inevitably followed fighting. The study was published in Antiquity.

The Real Assassin’s Creed

Republication from HeritageDaily

by HeritageDaily

The word “Assassin” is a term that has been used to describe a fedayeen group within the Nizari Ismailis State that formed when followers of Nizarism split within Ismailism, a branch of Shia Islam.

The true origins of the word has been debated for centuries, with one such theory believing that “assassin” has roots in “hashshāshīn” meaning hashish smokers/users.

The first known usage of the term hashshāshīn has been traced back to 1122CE when the Fatimid caliph al-Āmir employed it in derogatory reference to the Syrian branch of the Nizaris Ismailis.

Zopyros’s heavy gastraphetes

Detailed diagrams of Zopyros’s heavy gastraphetes (γαστραφέτης) by E. W. Marsden: general plan, side-elevation, front-elevation. The gastraphetes was an ancient Hellenic invention that nowadays is usually described as a crossbow. But actually, unlike the Roman and medieval European crossbow which