The Basiliscoe Mercury 303

The Basiliscoe Mercury 303


TheInternet newsletter for the arms and armour community


Already the nights are drawing in, the clocks have gone back, the first frost has arrived and it is the annual Hallowe’en Bazzy already. Ghoulish storiesseem to have crept into every section; I particularly recommend the Titanic and the Curse if the Mummy- no doubt coming to big and small screens soon… Long may you dook for your apples!


Arms and armour in the news


Ancient arms and forts


Prehistoric toolsmade from antlers found in Scotland

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-45963734


New Mycenaean-era fortress foundin South Bulgaria

http://archaeologyinbulgaria.com/20...nt-thrace-was-part-of-mycenaean-civilization/


Byzantine tower in Istanbul collapses

https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blog...n-istanbul-collapses.html#Ye4M3J0D6apa7hZs.97


Investigating the Picts

https://www.livescience.com/63933-picts-developed-written-language.html


Hunting round the world and through the ages


Fishing farming in ancient times

http://artdaily.com/news/108452/Egyptians-farmed-fish-3-500-years-ago--study#.W8w9NDHQZ9A


Grave stories


More on the Jerusalem massacres

https://www.newsweek.com/ancient-be...tal-slaughter-revealed-jerusalem-mass-1176260


Sir Walter Raleigh and the head-in-the-bag (well, it is almost Hallowe’en)

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/oct/28/walter-raleigh-bag-severed-head-gory-mystery


Through the gunloop…


New discoveries at Čičva castle, eastern Slovakia (gunloops AND vampires!)

https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20940699...icva-castle-revealed-connecting-corridor.html


If ever you wanted to buy an island fortress, complete with artillery…

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-45856719


…and a nice piece about a visit there

https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/plymouth-news/drakes-island-plymouth-live-visit-2151253


Nice illustrated piece on Fort Ostenburg, Sri Lanka- pictures of cannon!

http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2018/1...tenburg-most-powerfully-gunned-bastion-ceylon


Cannons to the left, cannon to the right


Repainting Tufts University cannon

https://www.thesomervilletimes.com/archives/87120


Conserving a 1920 cannon

https://denver.cbslocal.com/2018/07/27/cannon-csu-rams-touchdowns/


Living in the past


That sword in your car may not legal…

https://www.bbc.co.uhttps://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/oct/16/battle-of-hastings-revisited-reenact-1066


Simple ides for medieval costume

http://www.medievalists.net/2018/10/how-to-create-your-own-medieval-costume/


Café Basiliscoe: this week’s snacks


Olives

https://www.total-croatia-news.com/...r-old-olive-pits-discovered-in-pasman-channel


Hazelnuts

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-34604576


Miscellany -mainly weapons


How the crossbow changed the world

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/how-crossbow-changed-warfare-forever-https://southcoastherald.co.za/3233...l-weapons-of-mass-destruction-can-take-a-bow/


What’s coming out of the glaciers goes on show in Sion

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/society/archaeology_swiss-glaciers-surrender-secrets-of-the-past/4http://artdaily.com/news/108317/Lest-they-forget--Five-families--mementos-from-World-War-I#http://artdaily.com/news/108708/-Ha...pling-s-vain-search-for-lost-son#.W9bMrjGNx9A


Papers of TE Lawrence find a home

https://www.finebooksmagazine.com/p...biographer-acquired-by-magdalen-college.phtml


A visit to Verdun

https://www.heraldnet.com/life/the-lessons-of-verdun-where-300000-soldiers-died-in-wwi/


Nautical news


Update on the Black Sea findings

https://www.theguardian.com/science...cient-greek-discovered-at-bottom-of-black-sea


Viking ship found buried in Ostefold

https://www.theguardian.com/science...al-discovered-in-norway-just-50cm-underground


Medieval ship found in Enköping

https://www.thelocal.se/20181024/archaeologists-find-medieval-ship-and-german-ceramichttps://museumcrush.org/the-archaeological-treasures-given-up-by-the-london-shipwreck/


Two Danish slave-ships from 1710 found in Caribbean

https://repeatingislands.com/2018/10/19/wrecks-of-danish-slave-ships-identified-in-the-caribbean/



Update on the Mentor lost 1802

http://www.tornosnews.gr/en/greek-n...-brig-mentor-yields-more-passenger-items.html


Conserving the ships’ figureheads for Plymouth

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/figureheads-shipshape-and-ready-to-set-sail


Titanic and the Mummy’s Curse

https://slate.com/culture/2018/10/mummy-curse-titanic-sinking-washington-post-artichttps://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/17102018-luke-syson-appointed-direchttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2...cus-reopening-hailed-as-return-to-normal-life


St Fagans re-opens

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/oct/18/st-fagans-welsh-history-museum-revamp-completed


Nigeria prepares for the return of looted art

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/nigeria-plans-museum-for-art-looted-from-benin


But Southend scraps its proposed new museum

https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/24102018-southend-council-scraphttp://artdaily.com/news/108516/Are-museums-deciding-on-the-right-exhibitions--#.W8w7ETHQZ9A


Museum musings


Reviving the Monuments Men

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smar...s-salvaging-art-war-torn-countries-180970563/


Conservation corner


Fascinating story about sticking together three Frans Hals portraits into one!

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/jigsaw-pieces-fall-into-place


Watch the NightWatchbeing conserved

http://artdaily.com/news/108393/Rem...-at-the-Rijksmuseum-in-Amsterdam#.W8w--DHQZ9A


Objects


Historic Ardgour gunpowder horn on show at new V&Ahttps://www.obantimes.co.uk/2018/10/18/historic-ardgour-gunpowder-horn-on-show-at-new-va-dundee/


Louvre Abu Dhabi buy samurai armour

http://gulftodhttps://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/huge-flag-captured-french-battle-9824839


Exhibitions


Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms in London

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/oct/21/anglo-saxon-kingdoms-review-barbaric-splendhttps://www.strawberryhillhouse.org.uk/losttreasures/


Playing with pirates in London

http://artdaily.com/news/108470/Maj...ional-pirates-in-popular-culture#.W8w8wDHQZ9A


Burne-Jones in London

http://artdaily.com/news/108651/Tat...urne-Jones-retrospective-to-be-held-in-the-UK


Manuscript treasures in Dublin

http://artdaily.com/news/108636/Tre...ates-50th-anniversary-of-bequest#.W9LMdjHQZ9A


Italian women artists in Ghent

http://artdaily.com/news/108435/-Th...ens-at-Museum-of-Fine-Arts-Ghent#.W8w-eDHQZ9A


Family treasures at Leuven

http://artdaily.com/news/108717/Exh...rld-of-the-noble-Arenberg-family#.W9bL5TGNx9A


Florentine paintings in Munich

http://artdaily.com/news/108440/Alt...s-Painters--From-Giotto-to-Leonardo-da-Vinci-


The long view - tracing the history of war in Vienna

https://www.dw.com/en/new-exhibit-traces-wars-long-and-brutal-evolution/a-45992http://artdaily.com/news/108695/Bar...splendor-for-the-very-first-time#.W9WFPTGNx9A


Frans Hals portraits at Toledo, Ohio

http://artdaily.com/news/108309/Tol...f-family-portraits-by-Frans-Hals#.W8RMajHQZ9A


Napoleon’s court in Kansas City

http://artdaily.com/news/108626/Amb...h-rarely-seen-selection-of-works#.W9LMETHQZ9A


Jodhpur in Seattle

http://artdaily.com/news/108518/Imm...e-city-of-Jodhpur-and-its-people#.W8w6jjHQZ9A


Books


Alfred Geibig; Gebt Feuer! Ready to Fire!

https://www.lesejury.de/alfred-geibig/buecher/gebt-feuer-ready-to-fire/9783874720991


Pests in Houses Great and Small (the real stuff of nightmares- moths & mice!)

https://www.english-heritageshop.org.uk/books-media/pests-in-houses-great-and-small


Recent books reviewed

http://www.medievalists.net/2018/10/new-medieval-books-from-jousting-to-mathematics/


Books from Les Invalides

http://boutique.musee-armee.fr/en/books/c13/1/


Medieval Warfare Magazine

https://www.karwansaraypublishers.com/medieval-warfare


Online book


MR James: ‘Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad’

https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/j/james/mr/antiquary/chapter7.html



Popular culture


Ghost stories from English Heritage, inspired by their properties

https://www.english-heritageshop.org.uk/books-media/eight-ghosts-paperback


Medieval films

http://www.medievalists.net/2018/10...ating-layers-of-tradition-in-a-medieval-film/


Zombies and war films- you knew it was going to happen

https://www.theguardian.com/film/20...s-war-film-overlord-really-need-added-zombies


Clooney goes coffee hunting in armour

http://www.bandt.com.au/advertising/george-clooney-goes-full-medieval-nespressos-latest-ad


Knotted guns- I think it is a thing now…

https://www.atlasobschttps://royalarmouries.org/event/the-heart-of-the-art-of-combat/


Sales, fairs and auctions


November dates for Hermann Historica

https://www.hermann-historica.de/en



Websites and downloads


Historial

https://www.historial.fr/en/


Veste Coburg’s new website

https://veste.kunstsammlungen-coburg.de/


Historic ships in Copenhagen

https://en.natmus.dk/museums-and-palaces/the-vessels-at-holmen/


1066 etc: Medieval rebellions, Templars & Kingly horsemanship

http://www.medievalists.net/2018/10...dieval-and-early-modern-rebellions-1381-1554/

http://www.medievalists.net/2018/10/torture-confession-templar-interrogations/

http://www.medievalists.net/2018/10/medieval-art-riding/


Hallowe’en


All the best ghost stories come from Scotland andThe National Trust for Scotland has put together a number of themed stories about spooky happenings round their castles and other properties

https://www.nts.org.uk/stories


Finally


This fortnight we tweeted on visits to East Anglian castles, cannons and effigies…

https://twitter.com/Basiliscoe


Compiled by Ruth Rhynas Brown –30 October 2018


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