A new study has confirmed what we already suspected and knew, but in much more elaborate detail: the Bronze Age was a long, long bloodbath. The team of researchers, including experts from Göttingen University, have recreated ancient combat techniques by simulating Bronze Age spear fights. They carefully recreated battles, blow by blow, to understand how these weapons were used and how the marks they bear came to be.
Their work has been published in the latest edition of the Journal of Archaeological Science, as the second part of a series. The first, published last month, had assessed Bronze Age swords in Bohemia and Moravia, and conducted similar simulations, offering fresh perspectives on ancient warfare and the evolution of weaponry.
Experiment with experienced fighters who spar freely using different styles. two-handed spear strikes. with binding. (Valerio Gentile/Journal of Archaeological Science)
Bronze Age Spears: Tactics and Strategies of Ancient Warring
Bronze Age spears have long fascinated archaeologists, as they offer clues to the battle strategies and tactics of early civilizations. However, until now, there’d been no systematic attempt to study how these weapons interacted with each other, shields, or even the human body.
To bridge this gap, the team, consisting of licensed Martial Arts experts, created replicas of Bronze Age spears and put them to the test in real-life combat scenarios. They engaged in actual spear combat, wielding replicas of Bronze Age weapons based on…
