The Basiliscoe Mercury 350

The Basiliscoe Mercury350


TheInternet newsletter for the arms and armour community


A good selection of stories, despite the increase, round Europe at least, of the public being locked down and museums closed again. A round up on the new Norwegian Viking ship, various stories on WWs 1 & 2, and memorials. Plus some tournaments.


Arms and armour in the news


Ancient arms and war


Mushroom picker finds Bronze Age sword in woods- change from lakes!

https://english.radio.cz/archaeolog...mushroom-picker-finds-rare-bronze-age-8699022


PTSD in Assyrian times

https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/3000-year-old-ptsd-43423/


Archimedes and the siege of Syracuse

https://medium.com/lessons-from-his...ntist-who-stopped-the-roman-army-f85f295063c3


Excavating ancient fort in Iran

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/454322/Ramparts-of-ancient-fort-unearthed-in-northeast-Iran


Tombstone of Roman veteran found in Bulgaria

http://archaeologyinbulgaria.com/20...tone-from-almus-in-bulgarias-danube-town-lom/


Beasts of assorted varieties…


Prehistoric engravings of bison found in Spanish cave

https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2020/10/bison-engravings-in-spanish-caves.html


Chariot racing in AncientRome

http://www.asor.org/anetoday/2020/11/sound-and-fury


Mongolians and their horses

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/202...s-mongolian-warriors-build-multiethnic-empire




Grave stories


A spooky visit to the Tower of London

https://museumcrush.org/guy-fawkes-witch-marks-and-a-spiritual-midden-at-the-tower-of-london/


Battlefield corpses

https://www.medievalists.net/2020/10/corpses-medieval-battlefield/


Through the arrow-slit . . .


What they have found in Shrewsbury Castle

https://www.archaeology.co.uk/articles/news/surprising-finds-at-shrewsbury-castle.htm


Last castle in Wales built to protect ironmaster from his workers

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/little-known-last-fortified-towers-19185849


Research on Saffron Walden castle made available

https://www.saffronwaldenreporter.c...n-medieval-history-project-underway-1-6911135


Egyptiancastle opens to public

https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/...i-Fortress-to-help-transform-Siwa-into-global


Hexagonal keep’s foundations found in Bulgarian excavations

http://archaeologyinbulgaria.com/20...al-fortress-rusocastro-in-southeast-bulgaria/


Feature on the Great Wall of China

https://www.discovermagazine.com/un...reat-wall-of-china-actually-keep-invaders-out


Cannons to the left, cannon to the right


Dangers of restoring German castles

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/german-palace-faces-bomb-disposal-quandary


Chinese cannon for sale (sold by now – update- did not sell)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales...bmR-9-_DXrs1GxKFc3Ps1FMbgfBfCGh9HA8y_cciCOui0

https://app.dukes-auctions.com/en/a...nese-bronze-cannon-qianlong-period-dated-1789



19th century breechloaders in Indochina- photos

https://vietreader.com/travel/22356-indochina-s-biggest-ancient-artillery-battle-in-vung-tau.html


Reproduction cannon stolen from Fort Klock

https://dailygazette.com/2020/11/07...ks-at-historic-fort-klock-would-like-to-know/


Princesses and Amazons


Portraits of Queens of Francehttps://www.boutiquesdemusees.fr/fr...GVhdXgvNS1jYXRhbG9ndWVzLWV4cG9zaXRpb24vMS8%3D


Hunting for prehistoric women

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/04/science/ancient-female-hunter.html?searchResultPosition=1


Where Henry VIII nearly came acropper

https://www.livescience.com/henry-viii-jousting-tiltyard-found.html


Into the 20th century


WWI pigeon’s message finally delivered

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54870322


Searching for the grave of UK’s first black officer

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...to-grave-of-britains-first-black-army-officer


War memorials get protected status

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/listed-war-memorials


Scottish places in WW1 & 2

https://www.nts.org.uk/stories/trust-places-during-wartime


Part of a spitfire washed up on a Dutch beach

https://theaviationist.com/2020/10/...seV2Ln7EpQKzUYTfgU9z_LUDEUvGKGCyV-uIuJDQJDzfo


Nautical news


Update on the Gjellestad ship and its surroundings

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/10/europe/viking-site-radar-norway-scli-intl-scn/index.html


Cannon recovered from Spanish waters

https://www.cronicamaritima.es/noti...74a-XrIMONqGhBh3__16PeVhJEO5q_2_gdQRcqOwV-tnw


In search of Martin Frobisher’s fleet

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/...erwick-harbour-and-a-1578-shipwreck-1.4401442


Feature on the Mayflower

https://www.archaeology.co.uk/articles/features/the-mayflower-1620-2020.htm


Svalbard’s wrecked whalers vanish

https://www.theatlantic.com/science...ery-svalbards-disappearing-shipwrecks/617029/


The sinking of the William Humphries off Canna

https://www.nts.org.uk/stories/remembering-the-sinking-of-the-william-humphries



Museum news and exhibitions


News


English museums close in second lockdown

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/second-covid-lockdown-england


German museum directors object to their closures

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/new...y-enforced-november-closure-is-wrong-decision


Thefts of Nazi material from Dutch museums

https://artdaily.com/news/130116/Thieves-grab-Nazi-memorabilia-in-museum-heists--puzzling-police


New museums


National Museum of the Army opens in the US

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/nov/9/national-museum-army-opens-veterans-day/


New museum planned for Benin City

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/benin-british-museum

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-54933273


Museum developments


Making a touchbook

https://www.nts.org.uk/stories/materials-making-at-kellie-castle






Museum musings


French government vote to return colonial era artefacts

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/new...urn-colonial-era-objects-to-benin-and-senegal


New book discusses the roll of museums in colonial history

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/nov/06/the-brutish-museums-by-dan-hicks-review-colonial-violence-and-cultural-restitution?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1604654325


Conservation corner


Restoring the clock at Gretna’s munitions works

https://museumcrush.org/wwi-munitions-clock-saved-and-restored-at-devils-porridge-museum/


How to keep old skills alive

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/british-museum-initiative-records-endangered-practice


Objects


Musket cache found in Lochaber- Jacobite?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-54904272


Looking for the perfect Christmas gift? Ladies, treat yourself to a lipstick gun

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/spy-museum-selling-most-its-stealthy-tools-180976223/



Books


Philip Weir: Dunkirk and the Little Ships

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/dunkirk-and-the-little-ships-9781784423759/


Online Book


Travels of Henrietta Liston

https://digital.nls.uk/travels-of-henrietta-liston/



Popular Culture


Classic WWI films

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6990968/words-from-the-trenches-endure/?cs=14259



Mail is back in fashion

https://www.vogue.com/article/paco-rabanne-link-dresses-inspire-designers-for-spring-2021


The Art Newspaper suggests some Christmas gifts for you

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/feature/our-christmas-gift-guide-artworks-for-every-budget


Events


Conferences


ICOMAM conference –Toledo, Spain

New dates 17 – 21 May 2021

https://ejercito.defensa.gob.es/eventos/icomam_toledo_2021/


Sales, fairs and auctions


2 December 2020 London

Antique Arms, Armour & Militaria

https://www.olympiaauctions.com/sales/arms-armour/as021220/?p=1&s=40&v=list


3 December 2020 London

Antique Arms, Modern Sporting Guns & Exceptional Firearms

https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/25987/


7 – 11 December 2020 Munich

https://www.hermann-historica.de/en/auctions

https://artdaily.com/news/130014/On...cts-from-Hermann-Historica-s-specialist-areas


Holts

https://www.all4shooters.com/en/sho...on-7-8-December-fine-modern-and-antique-guns/



Websites and downloads


Early modern maps available online

https://www.medievalists.net/2020/11/40000-early-modern-maps/


1066 etc: Peasants v Knights, Crusades & Edward III

https://www.medievalists.net/2020/11/peasant-knight-battle/

https://www.medievalists.net/2020/11/fourth-crusade-robert-clari/

https://www.medievalists.net/2020/11/edward-iii-chivalry/




Finally


This fortnight I have enjoyed Look Up London’s tweets and pretended I could still travel beyond Leeds: @Look_UpLondon

https://twitter.com/Basiliscoe


Compiled by Ruth Rhynas Brown –14 November 2020


Some people have asked me about making a contribution to the Newsletter – if you would like to support us, you can make a donation here through our Paypal account – see here for details:

http://www.basiliscoe.com/id2.html