The Basiliscoe Mercury 284

The Basiliscoe Mercury 284


TheInternet newsletter for the arms and armour community


The annual Christmas Bazzy, chock full of goodies. Prehistoric clubs, Viking spears, Dutch cannon, knights, and a new publication from Ingolstadt. All this & the Bazzy Christmas stocking…


Arms and armour in the news


Ancient arms


How deadly were wooden clubs (spoiler alert – quite)?

https://www.livescience.com/61140-prehistoric-wooden-club-weapons.html


What was found in England last year?

https://www.theguardian.com/culture...ritish-museum-record-haul-2016-treasure-finds


And perhaps someone will give you a detector for Christmas

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeand...05/rise-of-detectorists-how-hunt-for-treasure


Fascinating story of a Viking spear found in the ice 40 years ago

http://secretsoftheice.com/news/2017/11/29/spear/


Beasts of assorted varieties…


Fishing in Indonesia

http://mentalfloss.com/article/5194...ish-hooks-are-oldest-ever-be-discovered-grave


Scientists in Siberia find mammoth remains with the spear that killed it inside http://www.newsweek.com/14-inch-tusk-spear-found-siberia-inside-woolly-mammoth-skeleton-742377


But too late to buy your own mammoth

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42379425


Round the world


Cave paintings found in Indonesia

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/unexplored...red-tiny-2500-year-old-cave-paintings-1651542


Grave stories


Reconstructing an Anglo-Saxon woman’s face

http://museumcrush.org/facial-recon...ung-anglo-saxon-woman-would-have-looked-like/


Medieval grave from Plovdiv –with an arrow…

http://sofiaglobe.com/2017/12/08/archaeology-mediaeval-tomb-found-at-plovdivs-odeon-site/


Reconstructing a Civil War Scotssoldiers face

http://museumcrush.org/staring-into...ce-of-a-seventeenth-century-scottish-soldier/


Call for repatriation of skulls from Newfoundland

https://www.cablemagazine.scot/return-beothuk-skulls/


And Algeria

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-42280196


Through the arrow-slit . . .


Crowding together to buy a castle in the clouds

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-42232308/6500-people-buy-crumbling-castle


But castle in Tuscany still available

http://www.medievalists.net/2017/12/castle-sale-tuscany/


Through the gunloop…


Kings Lynn South Gate gets new custodian

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/barry-howard-is-made-custodian-of-the-south-gate-in-kings-lynn-1-530https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and...ike-island-better-than-machu-picchu-1.3308554


Dien Hai citadel (Vietnam) to be recognised as National Special Relic

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/ar...-be-recognised-as-national-special-relic.html


18th century defensive earthworks found in the Bieszczady Mountains, Poland

http://scienceinpoland.pap.pl/en/ne...k-poland-discovered-bieszczady-mountains.html


Princesses and Amazons


Warrior women of classical times

https://blog.britishmuseum.org/bettany-hughes-on-warrior-women/


Two queens for the price of one

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2...-queen-of-scots-writ-large-in-donated-letters


Update on the wax ladies in Westminster Abbey

https://www.theguardian.com/culture...gies-restored-for-new-museum?CMP=share_btn_tw


Cannons to the left, cannon to the right


Three Dutch cannon return to Southend

http://www.echo-news.cohttps://www.antiquestradegazette.co...ish-warship-return-to-uk-for-southend-museum/


Making cannon for American revolutionaries

http://www.norwichbulletin.com/news...ing-pioneering-manufacturer-trained-in-norwch


Civil War cannon of Morrisville, VT gets a facelift (picture of cannon in the snow!)

http://www.stowetoday.com/news_and_...cle_2c7549a8-d5fd-11e7-9ceb-ab766b14fcb4.html


Fort Collins cannon (and other monuments)

http://www.coloradoan.com/story/lif...-monuments-and-stories-behind-them/914281001/


Hereward cannon,recovered from 1898 shipwreck off Maroubra ,returns http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...r/news-story/b887cd6a9e59c4b5bf7e268b08bc5658


Asian round-up


Kalaburagi Government Museum; exhibits include cannons & weapons

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/647528/a-museum-soaked-history.html


Interesting article & video about Serampore, Bengal, & its Danish heritage

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...pean-legacy/story-lzWjnk1hh9cfeHMrwhLhmI.html


Living in the past


Carter House Park, Brentwood TN, receives fourth and final cannon https://brentwoodhomepage.com/carter-house-park-receives-fourth-and-final-cannon/


Civil War re-enactments began real soon

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smar...s-were-thing-even-during-civil-war-180967405/


Café Basiliscoe


Butchering the prehistoric way

http://popular-archaeology.com/issu...ach-measures-early-human-butchering-practices


Mammoth steaks from Michigan

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/more-mammoth-remains-unearthed-michigan-farm-180967398/


Or the oldest turkey in England…

http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/local-news/leftovers-one-first-turkey-dinnershttps://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/dec/16/dickens-victorian-meals-clean-eating


All served on very fancy silverware

http://artdaily.com/news/100943/Magnificent-and-enigmatic-example-of-Renaissance-metalwork-reunihttps://www.livescience.com/61170-china-tomb-full-of-soup-bowls.html


Andextra-large wine glasses

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...s-are-seven-times-larger-than-they-used-to-be


And don’t forget the coffee

https://www.theguardian.com/science...sts-hundreds-items-unearthed?CMP=share_btn_tw


Miscellany


A short history of flint

http://www.edp24.co.uk/features/how...from-the-cretaceous-to-our-churches-1-5316555


Short article about Prince Henry

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-42082710


Battle of Ruapekapeka, New Zealand, 1845-6 (picture of carronade)

https://www.radionz.co.nz/programmes/nz-wars/story/2018623840/the-battle-of-ruapekapeka


The Maginot line

http://www.nationalinterest.org/blo...ne-was-not-big-failure-history-makes-it-23469


Nautical news


Update on the search for VOC ship Aagtekerke, lost 1726

https://thewest.com.au/news/augusta.../tusk-find-elephant-in-the-room-ng-b88675306z


Investigating slavery trade wrecks

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-africa-42313939/hunting-the-shipwrecks-of-the-slave-trade


HMASAE1, Australia’s first submarine found

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/21/first-allied-vessel-lost-world-war-finally-found-century/


Wrecks of Japanese and US warships found off Philippines https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/12/08/national/history/wrecks-believedhttp://theartnewspaper.com/news/spa...lonia-museum-after-religious-artefacts-seized


Visitor numbers to German museums drop

http://theartnewspaper.com/news/german-museums-report-decline-in-visitor-numbers-in-2016


Getty closes during fire scares

http://theartnewspaper.com/news/getty-wildfire


How Florida’s museums reacted to Hurricane

http://theartnewspaper.com/feature/riders-on-the-storm


British Museum to move storage to Reading http://theartnewspaper.com/news/british-museum-plans-to-move-storage-outside-of-london


British Museum announces 10-year partnership renewal With Mitsubishi Corporation and gets a Samurai armour of the Mori clan https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/British-Museum-Announces-10-year-Partnership-Renewal-With-Mitsubishi-Cohttp://theartnewspaper.com/analysis/the-year-in-museums


New museums


New gallery of Chinese and South Asian culture opens in the BM

http://artdaily.com/news/101071/Bri...-Gallery-of-China-and-South-Asia#.Wjd9nuQiF9A


New costume gallery in the Hermitage

http://artdaily.com/news/101111/Rus...ts-rare-collection-of-tsars--clothes-on-show-


Conservation corner


Iron from the skies

https://www.haaretz.http://theartnewspaper.com/news/las...estore-rimini-s-medieval-alabaster-altarpiece


Lovely piece about conserving a Victorian fancy dress costume

http://museumcrush.org/unwrapping-a-mystery-costume-attic-find-at-scotney-castle/


Objects


Armours for Christmas

http://www.medievalists.net/2017/12/royal-gift-exhttp://artdaily.com/news/100738/Lou...an-ccedil-ois-I-s-Book-of-Hours-#.WiZhkOSDN9A


Nice portrait of Napoleon’s brother-in-law in fancy uniform for the Frickhttp://artdaily.com/news/100797/Fri...ting-purchase-in-nearly-30-years#.Wi0MJ-SDN9A


Exhibitions


Celebrating 100 years of Finland

http://theartnewspaper.com/news/finland-quietly-celebrates-100-years-of-independence


500 years of Tintoretto coming up

http://artdaily.com/news/100851/500...ions-in-Venice--New-York--and-DC#.Wi0KsuSDN9A



Upcoming: Leonardo codex goes to Florence

http://theartnewspaper.com/news/leonardo-salvator-mundi


Upcoming: 15th century masterpieces in NY

http://theartnewspaper.com/news/fri...he-interactive-experience-of-15th-century-art


Charles II in London

https://www.theguardian.com/artandd...ery-buckingham-palace-review?CMP=share_btn_tw

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...ibition-reveals-how-he-tackled-the-kings-evil


Medieval English manuscripts in Oxford

http://artdaily.com/news/100689/Bod...aphic-designers-of-English-texts#.WiJ7U-SDN9A


Treasures from India in Edinburgh

http://artdaily.com/news/101057/Gli...ndian-Subcontinent-go-on-display-in-Scotland-


Travellingexhibition about USinternment of Japanese citizens

http://theartnewspaper.com/news/new...ica-s-shameful-history-of-japanese-internment


Books


Matthew Ward: The Livery Collar in Late Medieval England and Wales; Politics, Identity and Affinity

https://boydellandbrewer.com/the-livery-collar-in-late-medieval-england-and-wales-hhttps://www.armeemuseum.de/en/71-veranstaltungen/veranstaltungen/1137-2017-11-publikation-bavarianhttp://www.medievalists.net/2017/12/new-medieval-books-war-politics-beauty/


A selection box of samurai-related books and films for Christmas

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/http://www.medievalists.net/2017/12/take-look-luttrell-psalter/


Old Neptunias go online

https://www.aamm.fr/neptunia/premiers_numeros



Popular culture


Iceman the movie: stone age survivor Ötzi is brought back to life https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/dec/03/otzi-iceman-mummy-brought-to-life-on-film


Sales Fairs and auctions


Results from Hermann Historica

http://artdaily.com/news/100795/Her...on-closes-with-excellent-results#.Wi0NrOSDN9A



Websites and downloads


1066 etc: Knighting, fencing, saga fighting and courtly love

http://www.medievalists.net/2017/11/knighting-ceremony-squire-sir/

http://www.medievalists.net/2017/11...ncing-master-bologna-15th-early-16th-century/

http://www.medievalists.net/2017/12/combat-saga-literature-traces-martial-arts-medieval-iceland/

http://www.medievalists.net/2017/12/woman-love-medieval-courtly-literature-real-fictional/


Finally the BazzyChristmas stocking


A few coins…

http://museumcrush.org/coinage-of-conflict-the-pop-up-mints-that-kept-money-flowing-in-wartime/

http://www.nottinghampost.com/news/local-news/metal-detector-enthusiasts-find-english-918285


A poetic grenade

https://www.poetryarchive.org/poem/pomegranates-kandahar


Psychedelic fun with the dragon colouring book

http://www.gamesgames.com/game/castle--dragon-coloring-game


Nothing says Christmas like zombies!

http://www.gamesgames.com/game/infectonator-christmas


Cuddly Tasmanian tigers

https://www.theguardian.com/science.../playing-god-should-we-revive-extinct-species


Sit back and an enjoy a movie–The Knight’s Tale of course!

http://www.medievalists.net/2017/12/best-medieval-film-case-knights-tale/


Or a bit of a sing-sing- Medieval carols

http://www.medievalists.net/2017/12/social-political-religious-contexts-late-medieval-carol/


Tolkien for Christmas

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2...ddle-earth-tolkien-christmas-letters-children


How to score at jousting

http://www.medievalists.net/2017/12...ent-jousting-cheques-early-sixteenth-century/


Something to laugh at

https://graphicarts.princeton.edu/2015/03/04/thomas-rowlandson-site-is-live/


Analchemist’s scroll

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5188237/Alchemists-scroll-sells-magical-585-000.html


A 16thcentury gilt badge of David and Goliath

https://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/goliath-badge-slays-all-the-competition-1-8910097


And the latest ICOMAM MAGAZINE!

http://network.icom.museum/icomam/publications/the-magazine/



This fortnight I tweeted fantastic beasts on cannons

https://twitter.com/Basiliscoe



Compiled by Ruth Rhynas Brown –Christmas 2017

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year


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