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A Byzantine ship using Greek fire against an enemy ship. Source: Public Domain

Greek Fire Is Every Sailor's Deadly Nightmare (Video)

Investigating the historical narrative of Greek Fire , the ancient Byzantine weapon emerges as a pivotal element during the Arab siege of Constantinople in 678 AD. In a daring counterattack, the...
Modified tiger shark teeth found in 7,000-year-old layers of Leang Panninge (top) and Leang Bulu’ Sipong 1 (bottom) on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Right; Shark tooth weapons from Kiribati and Hawai’i. Source: M.C. Langley/The Conversation, Right; The Trustees of The British Museum

Bringing a Shark to a Knife Fight: 7,000-year-old Shark-tooth Knives Discovered in Indonesia

Michelle Langley et al./The Conversation Excavations on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi have uncovered two unique and deadly artifacts dating back some 7,000 years – tiger shark teeth that were...
Medieval archer. Source: HN Works / Adobe Stock.

How a Medieval Archer Could Take Down an Armored Knight (Video)

Medieval archers faced a daunting challenge when attempting to defeat knights clad in full plate armor . They turned to a combination of weaponry, strategy, and ingenuity to surmount this formidable...
Khanjar dagger. Source: YouTube Screenshot / Great Big Story.

A Master Craftsman Makes the Perfect Dagger (Video)

In Oman , the possession of a khanjar is a matter of tradition and pride for men. These curved daggers , tracing their origins to the 16th or 17th century, have evolved from mere weapons to exquisite...
Medieval saber sword found in Kyrgyzstan. Source: Siyatbek Ibraliev / Turmush

Unearthed Treasure: Saber Sword Found in Kyrgyzstan is a Medieval Marvel!

Amidst the serene village of Amanbaev in the Talas Region of Kyrgyzstan, a momentous discovery has come to light which has been dubbed the Kyrgyzstan saber. This ancient military saber sword boasts a...
Prehistoric hunter with his weapon. Source: Daniel Eskridge / Adobe Stock.

Mastering the Atlatl: The Ultimate Prehistoric Hunting Tool (Video)

Have you ever heard of the atlatl ? It's a prehistoric hunting tool that has been used for thousands of years, predating the bow and arrow . It consists of a long stick, usually made from wood or...
An assassin holding a falchion sword. Source: jaysen / Adobe Stock.

Blood on the Blade: The Deadly Efficiency of the Falchion (Video)

In the realm of medieval weaponry, few weapons were as brutally efficient as the falchion . A curved sword with a wide blade that tapered towards the tip, the falchion was designed to deliver maximum...
Roman defensive spikes found at Bad Ems.	Source: Frederic Auth/Aktuelles Uni

Caesar’s Savage Human Skewers Unearthed In German Fort

Was this German silver mine really defended by two Roman forts and a line of "spike defenses”? Or, were the Romans protecting something even more valuable than silver? Having spent several months in...
A Byzantine ship using Greek fire against an enemy ship. Source: Public Domain

A Blazing Weapon: Unraveling the Mystery of Greek Fire

In the shadowy world of ancient warfare, one weapon stood out as a true marvel: Greek fire. In the 7th century AD, the Byzantine Empire harnessed the power of fire with the creation of Greek fire, a...
Left: Scientists using an XRF gun to test the sword’s chemical composition. Right: Bronze Age Era sword (1080-900 BC) now proved not to be a replica. Source:  © Field Museum

Chicago’s “Replica” Sword is Actually an Authentic 3,000-Year-Old Weapon

Over the last century a sword has been on display at the Field Museum in Chicago and dubbed a “replica Bronze Age weapon.” However, an x-ray has now disclosed that this brutal device of death is...
The Kalmar sword in situ where it was found. The tip is broken. Maybe in connection with battle? Source: Arkeologerna

This Rare Battle-Sword Just Found in Sweden Is “An Evolutionary Leap”

Researchers in Sweden were excavating a 400-year-old cellar floor when they came across this “rare” battle-sword from the Military Revolution. Archaeologists from Arkeologerna were digging at the...
Fantasy weapon set. Source: Zaleman / Adobe Stock

18 Terrifying and Impressive Historic Weapons

There is no end to the multitude of close combat weapons , from swords to spears, scythes, pikes, maces, glaives, flails, partisans, and hundreds more. Often designed to inflict the greatest damage...
Two men practicing karate	Source: Andrey Burmakin / Adobe Stock

Friends to Foes: The Surprising Origin and Evolution of Karate

When you think of martial arts, karate is probably one of the first that comes to mind. It has appeared in countless action films, TV shows, and video games. Today, parents all over the world send...
Chinese knife money. Source: sytilin / Adobe Stock

Chinese Knife Money: Making Markets feel Murderous?

The days of ‘cash as king’ are fading. Today, credit, debit, and digital currency have begun to slowly replace cash as the primary forms of payment, but it was not always so. For centuries, paper...
Alexander driving off elephants with war pigs and musical instruments in a detail from a French illuminated manuscript from 1420’. Source: The British Library / CC BY 4.0)

War Pigs: A Flaming History of Nature’s Cutest Creations in Battle

Throughout human history, animals have been effectively domesticated and used as an extension of the territorial desires of human beings. While dogs and cattle became effective elements in the...
The ornate Viking sword hilt is now pieced back together. Source: Lise Chantrier Aasen/Archeological Museum of Norway

Two Parts of the Same, Huge Viking Sword Separated 1200 Years Ago are Reunited

Two small chunks of metal, buried separately but near each other, have turned out to be parts of the same ornate Viking sword. Separated 1,200 years ago, the first part of the sword ‘Queen of Gausel...
The saber found in the monastery of Agios Nikolas may have belonged to Turkish pirates. Credit: E. Maniotis & T. Dogas

Saber Sword Found in Greek Monastery May Have Belonged to Turkish Pirates

The origins of a rare sword discovered in a Greek monastery has baffled Greek archaeologists. However, it’s thought that the weapon might have belonged to Mediaeval Turkish pirates raiding the Greek...
Bronze Age spear found in Cirencester, England.	 Source: Thames Water

Near-Pristine Bronze Age Spear Dated Over 3,000 Years Found in Britain

Spearheads are often seen as representing the ‘highest tradition of the Bronze Age’. This statement is exemplified by the discovery of a Bronze Age spear at a Thames Water sewage works in Cirencester...
Ayodhya seer was denied access to the Taj Mahal. Source: Wit.Siri / Adobe Stock

Weapon-Holding Ayodhya Seer Blocked from Taj Mahal Sparks Protests

This week, security guards at the Taj Mahal, the enormous 17th century white marble mausoleum built in Agra by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan , forbade entry to Ayodhya-based Hindu seer, Jagadguru...
This iron sword, now fragmentary and corroded, was discovered in 1993 in the Byzantine city of Amorium. Its surviving hilt with the ringed pommel is unique. 		Source: Amorium Excavation Project

Unique Ring Pommeled Byzantine Swords Discovered at Amorium

In classical antiquity, Amorium was an important, strategically located city in the kingdom of Phrygia in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey. Amorium was founded in the...
An X Ray of the Mayback Viking sword shows a decorative pattern. Source: Historic Environment Scotland

“Rare, Exciting and Complex” Mayback Viking Sword Discovered On Orkney

Among several finds at a Viking burial site on Papa Westray, Orkney, is “a rare, exciting, and complex artifact” – a Mayback sword in the form of a Pedersen Type D, associated with the 9th century...
Detail of ‘The warriors Kumagai Naozane and Taira no Atsumori.’ One of the warriors is brandishing a Japanese war fan called a Tessen.

A Japanese Fan Became a Deadly Weapon in the Right Hands

In ancient Japan, the Samurai utilized a wide range of weaponry other than swords, bows, and spears. These weapons were used in places where swords were not allowed to be carried, for self-defense...
A boomerang that was discovered in a dry section of the Cooper Creek bed in Australia. Source: Yandruwandha Yawarrawarrka Traditional Land Owners Aboriginal Corporation

Cooper Creek’s Boomerang Study Finds A Multitude of Uses

Not all boomerangs come back. In fact, recent discoveries show that almost four centuries ago in South Australia the one-way version of the flying hunting stick was used for hunting, fighting,...
Ornate Prehistoric Bronze Sword Excavated In Denmark

Ornate Prehistoric Bronze Sword Excavated In Denmark

A bronze sword has been extracted from the ground in Denmark. Archaeologists are amazed at the excellent condition in which it has been found, including its wood and horn hilt which have survived for...

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