For Gods or men? A reappraisal of the function of European Bronze Age shields

Molloy, Barry

doi:10.1017/s0003598x00099348

Cited by 27 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…In these cases, pressured tips may be complimentary to blow marks. Protective gear, such as armour or wooden shields, is perhaps another source for this damage (Molloy 2009, Uckelmann 2011 Danish Journal of Archaeology 31 as secondary proof for the existence of such protective gear, but this should not be overstated. It has to be kept in mind that bones or wooden weapons (see, for example, Jantzen et al…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weapons, fighters and combat: spears and swords in Early Bronze Age Scandinavia

Horn¹

2013

Danish Journal of Archaeology

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This article deals with the use-wear analysis of 204 weapons of Period I of the Early Nordic Bronze Age. The analysed sample contained 154 spearheads and 50 swords and was made up of approximately one-third of the contemporaneous weapons in Southern Scandinavia. The use-wear analysis was undertaken with a source critical view on corrosion and other taphonomic processes. The information obtained was used to see how use-wear and taphonomic processes influence each other. Use-wear analysis was employed to evaluate statements regarding the functionality, or rather non-functionality, of Early Bronze Age weaponry. According to the results, spears and swords were not only functional but also very frequently used. Further deductions can be made from the material. Despite a difference in the scale of fighting, spears and swords show essentially the same kind of combat wear. It is argued that this relates to essentially similar styles of fighting that employ both cutting and stabbing movements and are perhaps most appropriately termed 'fencing'. This style of fighting possibly emerged from frequent encounters of sword and spear fighters in the closely interconnected world of Southern Scandinavia during Period I of the Early Bronze Age. In these engagements, a partial homogenising effect of warfare and fighting becomes visible. Yet, it is not the only effect that accompanies combat and war. Diversification and homogenisation are not mutually exclusive or contradictive. Accordingly, they took place simultaneously and helped develop fighting styles and weapon technologies.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weapons, fighters and combat: spears and swords in Early Bronze Age Scandinavia

Horn¹

2013

Danish Journal of Archaeology

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“…Fourthly, the development of use-wear analyses on Bronze Age objects is starting to see more widespread application as are better recording systems, fewer untested assumptions, and a greater awareness of the complexities of interpretations (see Dolfini and Crellin 2016;Gutiérrez-Sáez and Martín-Lerma 2015;Horn 2013;Kristiansen 1978Kristiansen , 1984Kristiansen , 2002Kristiansen and Suchowska-Ducke 2015;Kuijpers 2017Kuijpers , 2018Molloy 2008Molloy , 2009Molloy , 2010Molloy et al 2016;Roberts and Ottaway 2003;Uckelmann and Mödlinger 2011). What is required is an approach to analyzing and understanding Bronze Age metal circulation and use that can evaluate and further advance the established models and interpretations based on morphologies, typologies, and distributions of Bronze Age copper and bronze objects throughout Europe.…”

Section: What Do We Know About Metal Circulation and Use In European mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Provenance, Use, and Circulation of Metals in the European Bronze Age: The State of Debate

et al. 2018

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Bronze is the defining metal of the European Bronze Age and has been at the center of archaeological and science-based research for well over a century. Archaeometallurgical studies have largely focused on determining the geological origin of the constituent metals, copper and tin, and their movement from producer to consumer sites. More recently, the effects of recycling, both temporal and spatial, on the composition of the circulating metal stock have received much attention. Also, discussions of the value and perception of bronze, both as individual objects and as hoarded material, continue to be the focus of scholarly debate. Here, we bring together the sometimes-diverging views of several research groups on these topics in an attempt to find common ground and set out the major directions of the debate, for the benefit of future research. The paper discusses how to determine and interpret the geological provenance of new metal entering the system; the circulation of extant metal across time and space, and how this is seen in changing compositional signatures; and some economic aspects of metal production. These include the role of metal-producing communities within larger economic settings, quantifying the amount of metal present at any one time within a society, and aspects of hoarding, a distinctive European phenomenon that is less prevalent in the Middle Eastern and Asian Bronze Age societies.

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“…The dense and tough character of the boar's tusks made them very durable items of armour, and the large shields made of wicker and rawhide were a key element in determining battlefield tactics for centuries (Molloy 2009). We may note that armour and bronze helmets, like the one from Late Minoan II Knossos (Hood and de Jong 1952), could represent an end to these established relationships between war, hunting and the natural world/religion, as may also be supported by the inclusion of the abovementioned Ke-se-no foreign warriors (Driessen and Macdonald 1984, 55) by Late Minoan IIIA.…”

Section: Weaponry In Corporementioning

confidence: 99%

Martial Minoans? War as Social Process, Practice and Event in Bronze Age Crete

Molloy

2012

Annu. Br. Sch. Athens

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Together with politics, economics and religion, war is one of the fundamental factors that can shape a society and group identities. In the prehistoric world, the sources for the study of war are disparate and their interpretation can be inconsistent and problematic. In the case of Crete in the Bronze Age, a systematic analysis of the evidence will be undertaken for the first time in this paper, and this opportunity is used to critically evaluate the most effective ways of employing the widely agreed sets of physical correlates for ancient war in the archaeological record. A further objective in exploring the diachronic roles of war in these societies is to move the discussion from a niche field to a more integrated, and systematic, social analysis. The existence and character of a warrior identity is examined, and it is proposed that it often constituted a conspicuous element of male identity. The varying scales and time spans through which war can influence a society are discussed, and a broad framework for understanding war in social process, practices and events is proposed.

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For Gods or men? A reappraisal of the function of European Bronze Age shields

Cited by 27 publications

References 13 publications

Weapons, fighters and combat: spears and swords in Early Bronze Age Scandinavia

Weapons, fighters and combat: spears and swords in Early Bronze Age Scandinavia

The Provenance, Use, and Circulation of Metals in the European Bronze Age: The State of Debate

Martial Minoans? War as Social Process, Practice and Event in Bronze Age Crete

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