Basiliscoe Mercury 401

The Basiliscoe Mercury401


TheInternet newsletter for the arms and armour community



Arms and armour in the news


A bit delayed because of short month and other commitments. Lots of prehistoric weapons, a Tudor leather wrist guard, naval gunnery and a Viking ship - the next thing to be found under a carpark.



Ancient arms


Steel in use in the Bronze Age https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230228154510.htm


First evidence of bows and arrows inFrance identified https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/23/world/france-cave-earliest-bow-arrow-use-outside-africa-scn


While they are finding arrowheads made out of mussels in the glaciers https://sciencenorway.no/archaeology-bronze-age-glaciers/archaeologists-surprised-when-3500-year-old-arrowheads-made-of-shells-melted-out-of-the-ice-in-the-norwegian-mountains/2157675#:~:text=Unique%20arrowheads%20made%20of%20freshwater,the%20world%2C%20according%20to%20archaeologist.&text=They%20were%20in%20use%20only,years%2C%20and%20nobody%20knows%20why.


Museum receives important Iron Age shield https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/her...ilder-whose-land-it-was-discovered-on-4028429


Is this the dagger of a pal of Hannibal? https://english.elpais.com/culture/...e-mystery-of-hannibals-soldier.html?ssm=FB_CC


Gladiators in Colchester https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/mar/04/evidence-reveals-gladiators-fought-in-roman-britain


Short feature on buried Viking swords https://www.archaeology.org/issues/503-2303/digs/11213-digs-sweden-viking-swords



Battles, towers and forts


Roman fort found defended by wooden spikes

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/ne...ort-wooden-spikes-germany-bad-ems-1234658682/


Feature on the walls of Constantinople

https://www.thecollector.com/role-of-the-theodosian-walls-of-constantinople/


Feature on the walls of Chichester https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/people/chichesters-roman-walls-a-brief-history-4022906


Laser finds 5th century fortress in Spain

https://www.livescience.com/lasers-reveal-ruins-of-5th-century-fortress-in-spanish-forest


Beasts of assorted varieties…


A guide to Neanderthal hunting

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/ancient-predators-a-guide-to-the-neanderthal-hunt


Horse riding for 5 thousand years https://www.scientificamerican.com/...horses-5-000-years-ago-new-evidence-suggests/


Medieval manuscript on whale habits

https://www.livescience.com/terrify...edieval-norse-manuscripts-is-actually-a-whale


Grave stories


Latest from GraveDigger- Giro the Nazi terrier- a sad story

https://grave-stories.com/


In the lists


Long illustrated article on how knights fought https://www.bbc.com/future/article/...ieval-sword-fighting-tricks-no-one-can-decode


Through the arrow-slit . . .


Plans to investigate the fortifications at Skipsea, Yorkshire https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/her...und-under-skipsea-castle-in-yorkshire-4017977



Investigating Lowther’s medieval castle https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/23340598.investigation-lowthers-medieval-castle-set-begin-summer/


Fyvie castle damaged in recent storms

https://www.nts.org.uk/stories/storm-otto-causes-significant-damage-at-fyvie-castle


Planning a future for MuncasterCastle https://www.theguardian.com/culture...ans-cumbria-estate-eco-attraction-carbon-zero


Dumbarton Castle reopens after works https://www.medievalists.net/2023/02/dumbarton-castle-reopens/


Forts and cannons


Life in Chinese fort

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article272585959.html


Civil War bastion found in the midlands?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-64569080


Carronade stolen from New Zealand community https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern...-of-stolen-cannon/5OPOE3YJFNDBNH4FZJQFO5YZ7M/


What they dig up at Gettysburg

https://whdh.com/news/unexploded-ar...urg-it-may-have-been-a-case-of-friendly-fire/


Miscellany


Fascinating article about uncovering lost doodles https://www.bbc.com/future/article/...aling-hidden-doodles-in-old-books-and-objects


Knights Hospitallers in Shropshire? https://www.shropshirestar.com/ente...knights-hospitaller-site-in-north-shropshire/


Tudor archer’s wristband found in Thames

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-64787840


Café Basiliscoe


Iron Age mead

https://www.iflscience.com/2-500-year-old-booze-brewed-up-from-recipe-found-in-iron-age-burial-67815


This week’s spice: saffron

https://www.medievalists.net/2023/03/saffron-medieval-europe/


Princesses and Amazons


5 Persian queens

https://www.thecollector.com/ancient-persian-empire-queens/


Women and the crusades

https://www.medievalists.net/2023/02/women-in-the-crusades-with-helen-nicholson/


Nautical news


Viking boat under a Cheshire pub carpark? https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2023-02-17/is-there-a-viking-boat-buried-underneath-a-carpark

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/-sczsteve/TheMeolsPubBoat.pdf


Update on the Gloucester

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-norfolk-64758552


Update on HMS Captain

https://the-past.com/news/lost-british-warship-set-to-be-investigated-150-years-after-sinking/


US Navy confirms location of lost WWII sub USS Albacore

https://maritime-executive.com/article/u-s-navy-confirms-location-of-lost-wwii-sub-uss-albacore



Museum news and exhibitions


New museums


Visits to Vicksburg’s Museums

https://www.vicksburgpost.com/2023/02/25/things-left-behind-relics-provide-proof-of-the-past/


Re-opening of the Manchester Museum

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...er-museum-gives-voice-to-south-asian-diaspora


Museum developments


Designing museums https://www.theguardian.com/artandd...on-his-rise-from-shop-designer-to-starchitect


Museum Musings


All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley - book about art gallerieshttps://www.theguardian.com/books/2...-all-beauty-world-museum-guard-moma-interview


Conservation corner


Fascinating piece about the Japanese mermaid https://www.livescience.com/hauntin...apan-is-even-weirder-than-scientists-expected


Survey of National Trust for Scotland’s Asian ceramics https://www.nts.org.uk/stories/a-survey-of-ceramics


Objects


Investigating a Portrait of Washington

https://artdaily.com/news/154706/Wa...rles-Peale--Experts-took-a-look-#.Y_XNPWnP2Uk


Cambridge College returns spears to Australia https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-64820618


Exhibitions


The Antonine Wall in Falkirk https://www.thenational.scot/news/23331390.antonine-wall-exhibition-shine-new-light-roman-history/


The Embletons and Burgundian wars at Morges, Switzerland

https://chateau-morges.ch/le-chateau/


Art and Science at Yale

https://artdaily.com/news/154606/Crafting-Worldviews--Art-and-Science-in-Europe--1500-1800-opens-at-Yale-University-Art-Gallery#.Y_CnRmnP2Uk


Sculpture from late medieval Exeter in NY https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/rich-man-poor-man


Tudors in Cleveland

https://artdaily.com/news/154886/First-exhibition-in-the-US-to-trace-the-transformation-of-the-arts-in-Tudor-England-opens-in-Cleveland#.Y_xptGnP2Uk



Books


Pre-order: British Ordnance Muskets 1830's & 1840's George Lovells Legacy

https://shop.royalarmouries.org/col...nce-muskets-1830s-1840s-george-lovells-legacy


Online books


National Trust for Scotland’s online reports

https://www.nts.org.uk/what-we-do/advocacy/research#:~:text=the%20interim%20report-,Survey%20of%20Asian%20Ceramics,-Between%202017%20and


Pascoe, D., 2022. Archaeological evidence for the development of Royal Naval gunnery from 1545 – 1811; analysing change through technology and culture. Doctoral Thesis. Bournemouth University.https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/36802/



Popular culture


Japanese swords on film

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/featured/kaito-suiju-samurai-movies.html?edg-c=1


Events


Diary Dates


18th April, 2023 Greenwich

Discovering Klein Hollandia - a Warship from the Dutch Golden Age of Sail https://www.nauticalarchaeologysoci...a-a-warship-from-the-dutch-golden-age-of-sail


Arms and Armour Society events https://thearmsandarmoursociety.org/?page_id=62


Events at the Imperial War Museums

https://www.iwm.org.uk/


Events at the Vasa Museum

https://www.vasamuseet.se/en


Events at Paris

https://www.musee-armee.fr/accueil.html


Conferences


Summer school for graduate students: First World War Museums and Exhibitions

https://1418.hypotheses.org/2246


12-13 May 2023 Norwich

HMS Gloucester

https://www.gloucestershipwreck.co.uk/conference-announcement

https://www.gloucestershipwreck.co.uk/_files/ugd/e3580b_5dcb8e74a23c41b08f6c1735eee5abfe.pdf



Websites and downloads


US Naval history blog

https://myemail.constantcontact.com...etter.html?soid=1138974103528&aid=8upfLIXDcEY


Galata Maritime Museum

https://www.museidigenova.it/en/galata-maritime-museum


1066 etc: all crusades

https://www.medievalists.net/2023/02/the-siege-of-acre-1291/https://www.medievalists.net/2023/02/true-crusader-crime-muslim-murder-and-political-drama/https://www.medievalists.net/2023/0...swins-song-of-the-conquest-of-alcacer-do-sal/


Compiled by Ruth Rhynas Brown –8 March 2023


https://twitter.com/Basiliscoe