anything about the Mesopotamian weaponry -- myArmoury.com

Jerzy Miklaszewski

I am only asking any reliable sources of information about the Akad, Sumer or Babylon types of weaponry. Any sources enabling of any insight at their methods of creating, using or the types of weaponry they used in these times, would be greatly appreciated by me.

Thank you...

Matthew Amt · Posted: Sun 13 Apr, 2008 7:20 am Post subject:

Khaire!

Sounds like you might want to visit the Bronze Age Center,

http://s8.invisionfree.com/Bronze_Age_Center/index.php?

We don't really have a Sumerian expert there, so far, but you can probably get some good leads. My own site might help some:

http://www.larp.com/hoplite/bronze.html

You can get a few lovely reproductions from Mike Kasner's Archaic Bronze,

http://www.archaicbronze.com/

Unfortunately, Mike passed away a few weeks ago. A friend of his is carrying on the business for a while, but I doubt any new products will be added. Still, 3 different axe heads and a nice javelin, all beautifully made.

The best book on the subject, as far as I know, is Yigael Yadin's "Art of Warfare in Biblical Lands", in 2 volumes, from 1963. (No ISBN, it's too old!) It might be very hard to find, though.

Like bronze (and copper) items from other cultures, Mesopotamian weapons were all cast in molds of stone or clay, and the edges hammered to harden and partially sharpen them. Some items had more shaping done by hammering. Jeroen Z. is active here and on the Bronze Age Center, and can tell you a lot more of the technical details if you like.

So are you hoping to get the gear as a reenactor, or are you going to be casting the items yourself? Either way, we hope to hear more from you!

Good luck and have fun,

Matthew

Jean Thibodeau · Posted: Sun 13 Apr, 2008 9:16 am Post subject:

Hisham Gaballa · Posted: Sun 13 Apr, 2008 11:38 am Post subject:

B. Fulton · Posted: Sun 13 Apr, 2008 12:54 pm Post subject:

While I can't add anything on construction, part of my Massive Museum Pic request was for Bronze Age weaponry. At the Louvre we hit up the Egyptian/Mesopatamian/Levant rooms and found khopeshes, daggers, swords, and axes and spear/javelinheads (those by the boatload).

If you can be patient (organizing and uploading 10 gigs of photos takes time) I'll be posting some on here soon.

Jerzy Miklaszewski · Posted: Tue 15 Apr, 2008 8:39 am Post subject:

I am really grateful for the help!

The forum you added is very helpful and I really gained much of the knowledge I wanted.

but for all those (10 Gb!!) photos I would think that is a little too much for me.

Truly I am reenacting completely different period and culture (XIV and XVII century in Poland) though I wanted to make sure of few things about the Mesopotamia. In fact this country is very intriguing in the incredible development over such a short (in contrary to those times, of course) period of time.

And thats why I asked those few questions.

I will certainly look for the book, though I didn't found it in the few main biblioteques around my city, I would need to search in smaller places.

Once again thank you, very much.