Recent research indicates that a 3,500-year-old Mycenaean armor, once thought to be ceremonial, was also practical for battle, reshaping our understanding of Late Bronze Age warfare and its impact on historical transitions.
New research suggests that a 3,500-year-old Mycenaean suit of armor, previously thought to be ceremonial, may actually have been used in battle.
Researchers worked with a group of Greek military volunteers who wore a replica of the Dendra armor during extended simulations of the rigors of battle.
One of the best and most complete examples of Mycenaean-era full-body armor, the bronze panoply was discovered in a tomb in the Greek village of Dendra, by Greek and Swedish archaeologists in the 1960s. But since its discovery, the question has remained as to whether the armour was purely for ceremonial purposes, or for use in battle.
This question has limited historians’ and academics’ understanding of ancient warfare and its consequences, which underpinned the social transformation of the prehistoric world.
But now, new research from an international team of researchers, published in PLOS ONE, has found that the armor was suitable for active warfare, providing new insights into war in the Late Bronze Age.
The research team conducted human experiments with a metal replica of the armor, which was created in the 1980s by staff and students at the former Bournville College of Art in Birmingham, UK at the invitation of the late Diana Wardle. A group of Greek special armed forces personnel wearing the replica armor completed an 11-hour simulation of Late Bronze Age combat protocols based on details from Homer’s Iliad.
Physiological Assessments and Results
Professor Andreas Flouris, from the University of Thessaly, who led the research said: “The armor that our volunteers wore was the same dimensions and similar weight to the Bronze Age original. We also monitored calorie intake based on a ‘Homeric diet’ (about 4,443 calories) derived from relevant descriptions found in the Iliad, and calorie expenditure together with the stresses placed on the volunteers’ bodies under temperatures typical for a Greek summer of 30-36 degrees DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301494