History, Mythology, Art and RPGs

[Galloglaich]

Here is a good article about forensics from the Battle of Towton, during the War of the Roses in the 15th Century

The Bloody Cost of Medieval Warfare

G.

 

[Galloglaich]

Front gate to viking land (through the 20 mile long wall that separated Denmark from Christian Europe)

'Sensational' Discovery: Archeologists Find Gateway to the Viking Empire - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

 

[El Mahdi]

Front gate to viking land (through the 20 mile long wall that separated Denmark from Christian Europe)

'Sensational' Discovery: Archeologists Find Gateway to the Viking Empire - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

Very Cool! I'm currently prepping a campaign set during the English Anarchy. I'll have some adventures for the group to get out into the rest of Europe a bit. That might be an interesting place to have them travel through...

Man, you always find the coolest historical stuff!

 

[Galloglaich]

Some backyard tests from a 450 lbs draw "arbalest" (really a small ballista in style if not power) made out of a leaf spring from a minivan, shooting very large bolts. Sorry for some of the cheesy aspects of the video, the penetration seems to be quite good though.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMFtSIvbnPk]YouTube - Great crossbow Arbalest Ballista[/ame]

The video clearly demonstrates the viability of a heavier bolt than some modern experts have stated were possible. The leaf-spring prod is of course very inefficient as a crossbow prod, it's designed to provide suspension for a minivan not to shoot bolts, and I think this actually offsets the longer stroke of this experimental weapon over a period arbalest at least somewhat. Though this is nowhere near anything like a serious experiment and there are so many variables it is tricky to make definitive conclusions, but clearly that is a heavier bolt than an average arrow, and though the bolt itself is also obviously crude and very inefficient (both in overal in shape and in the shape of the fins or vanes) compared to period designs, it's efficient enough to perform relatively well, better tha most other similar experiments I've seen.

My best information (including from Alan Williams book and from some data I've seen from Royal Armouries and the Lubeck Symposium) are that 1200 lb draw was more likely to be the mean for power of an historical weapon, unfortunately at this point we can only speculate how those weapons would perform because nobody has any (at least published) tests that i know of. This video gives a kind of titilating hint at best.

In my current opinion the power of this weapon in the video is actually significantly less than a much smaller windlass arbalest from the 15th or 16th Century or even a very small cranequin arbalest such as were used by mounted marksmen from the 15th Century and by hunters into the 17th and 18th Century.

G.

 

[Galloglaich]

Hey thanks for the e.p. guys

Here is some more interesting stuff I ran across today.

this is creepy, they wore these back in the day... these are real military masks worn by horsemen. imagine some guy wearing that while he comes at you with a lance. Might be a good idea for painting a fencing mask. They are also just interesting as art objects, and windows into the hideous Roman soul...

some antiques,

Here are cool ones for a female fencer

 

[Galloglaich]

This is the website where I found most of those, with more info about the archelogical finds

Military Equipment: Decorated Parade Armour

 

[Galloglaich]

Merry Christmas from Krampus!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrbrgA7co8g]YouTube - Absoisos-Pass wagrain (krampus).mov[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8X0oYKyfr8]YouTube - Gangal 1[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CqMHvwfIho]YouTube - Wuschz'n Pass 2003[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmu6L2KzKXQ]YouTube - Re: Krampus attack in Silandro (South Tirol)[/ame]

 

[Momeeche]

Holiday Bump. Kaloyan of Bulgaria led an interesting life.

 

[Galloglaich]

Some more about our friend from Towton:

The battle of Towton: Nasty, brutish and not that short | The Economist

 

[Galloglaich]

And another article on Scotts in Iceland:

Unreported Heritage News: Did the Scots visit Iceland? New research reveals island inhabited 70 years before Vikings thought to have arrived