The Basiliscoe Mercury 309

The Basiliscoe Mercury 309


TheInternet newsletter for the arms and armour community


A busy week, with a medieval sword from Denmark, war elephants, grenades in your crisp packet and war wagons. In addition, Leonardo and Rembrandt enjoy their anniversaries, and specially for Valentine’s Day ,the story of Joan of Leeds, a naughty nun in medieval York.


Arms and armour in the news


Ancient arms


Smart hunting by Neanderthal’s

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neanderthals-used-spears-hunt-targets-afar-180971357/


Bronze-age arrowhead found near Cork

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/couple-find-4500-year-old-arrowhead-on-trail-in-cork-902634.html


Roman helmets coming up from the deeps

https://www.livescience.com/64734-underwater-rome-carthage-battle-artifacts.html


Chariot burial from Pembroke

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-47072503


This week’s sword- from the streets of Aalbarg

https://www.thelocal.dk/20190206/danes-pull-medieval-sword-from-ground-in-aalborg-street


Battles, towers and forts


Ancient fortress reveals how prehistoric civilizations of Central Asia lived

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-02/arsc-afr010619.php


Money for old ramparts

https://www.theguardian.com/culture...-country-england-rejuvenated-dorset-wiltshire


Beasts of assorted varieties…


War elephants

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...isible-war-elephants/articleshow/67769304.cms


Grave stories


Facial reconstruction of 1812 French soldier

https://www.livescience.com/64589-french-soldier-napoleon-war-digital-face.html


Facial reconstruction- all in one handy place

https://museumcrush.org/top-ten-historical-facial-reconstructions/


Through the gunloop…


A tour of historic Dubrovnik, including fortifications and gun foundry

https://www.total-croatia-news.com/lifestyle/33928-unesco-and-croatia


A new future for Capetown’s Amsterdam Battery

https://www.thenewspaper.co.za/dhk-...-cape-town-that-references-historic-amsterda/


Cannons to the left, cannon to the right


Hull’s Swedish Garibaldi cannon go for facelift and new carriages

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/new...s/historic-cannons-stood-hull-decades-2504911


Iron guns found in renovations at Fort Cornwallis

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/c...d-cannon-and-mortar-found-at-fort-cornwallis/


Restoration of some bollards, somewhere in Asia

https://abpmajha.abplive.in/videos/majha-impact-on-restoration-of-historic-guns-on-ground-631652


A walk round some of Guam’s guns

https://www.postguam.com/entertainm...cle_93ad5918-14ff-11e7-adaa-bf3bd689c1aa.html


Living in the past


Uphellya

http://artdaily.com/news/110950/Axes--armour--torches--Vikings-feast-on-Scottish-island#.XFlZ6jFCd9A


Knights of Sussex

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-en...s-a-medieval-knight-in-the-sussex-countryside


Reviewing Knight Fight

http://www.medievalists.net/2019/02...knight-fight-how-historically-accurate-is-it/


Café Basiliscoe: this week’s menu


Diet of the Gladiators

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org...ly-life-and-practice/what-did-gladiators-eat/


With Medieval Irish bread,

https://www.dublininquirer.com/2019/02/06/a-dublin-archeologist-tries-to-recreate-medieval-bread


Choice of Bronze Age Cambridge beer…

https://www.theguardian.com/science...of-first-british-beer-found-in-cambridgeshire


…or wine of the pharaohs

https://www.livescience.com/64613-ancient-winery-egypt.html


Glassware courtesy of Fyvie Castle

https://www.nts.org.uk/stories/saucers-and-syllabub


Miscellany


Wagons o’War

http://www.medievalists.net/2019/01/wagenberg-war-wagons/


Humans can effect climate change- all you have to do is kill enough people…

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/01/world/european-colonization-climate-change-trnd/index.html


Tudor signet ring found in Shropshire

https://www.shropshirestar.com/news...r-ring-found-in-shropshire-declared-treasure/


London’s Royal wardrobe and what happened to it

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-g...wardrobe-that-held-400-years-of-royal-fashion


Sir Hiram Maxim’s pipe of peace

https://museumcrush.org/the-machine-gun-inventors-peace-offering/


Princesses and Amazons


Bollywood retelling of Rani’s fight against the British in the Indian Mutiny

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...dian-historical-epic-star-critics-manikarnika


Newly discovered portrait of Mary Queen of Scots to go on show

https://museumcrush.org/mary-queen-...sive-cast-of-tudor-portraits-at-hever-castle/


Into the 20th century


How to make that bag of crisps go with a bang- just add a grenade…

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-47107609


Exploring Poland’s nuclear bunkers

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/...logy-reveals-cold-war-nuclear-bunkers-poland/


When the mail was delivered by rocket…

https://www.engadget.com/2019/02/02/the-history-of-rocket-mail-backlog/?guccounter=1


Love in the munitions factory

https://museumcrush.org/the-devils-porridge-museum-uncovers-love-in-the-munitions-factory/


Nautical news


Crimean figurehead is listed

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jan/31/uk-lists-nymph-figurehead-from-crimean-warship


The search for Shackleton’s lost Endurance

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...inding-shackletons-ship-endurance-weddell-sea

https://www.livescience.com/64608-shackleton-lost-ship-expedition.html


Has the Kaiser’s lost ship been found off Caithness?

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/kaisers-lost-battleship-divers-discover-13932613


WW2 wooden ship heads to Hartlepool for conservation

https://museumcrush.org/rare-wooden-wwii-warship-heads-into-dry-dock-for-conservation/


Hiei, 1st Japanese battleship sunk in WW2 discovered off Solomon Islands

https://www.popularmechanics.com/mi...nese-world-war-ii-battleship-solomon-islands/


Wreckage of World War II aircraft carrier USS Hornet discovered https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uss-ho...6IfkLabDLdCRKVb19cDUpCwhB4YNDWVOHsyL1movKfSDs



Museum news and exhibitions


News


American museums re-open

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/new...museums-and-national-gallery-of-art-to-reopen


Keeping our treasures, even if they are not all golden

https://www.theguardian.com/culture...edefine-treasure-to-help-uk-museums-buy-finds


Sweden’s stolen crown jewels found?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...royal-treasure-may-have-been-found-police-say


The axe falls on UK’s local cultural policies

https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/31012019-councils-slash-museum-budgets


New museums


Museums of Scotland finish makeover

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/whole-world-under-one-roof-is-revealed


Museum musings


This week’s walls

https://thefederalist.com/2019/02/07/history-shows-big-beautiful-border-walls-work-extremely-well/


Conservation corner


Using a modern scanner on the Black Prince’s shield

https://www.canterbury-cathedral.or...ld-secrets-to-be-revealed/?platform=hootsuite


Dealing with moths in historic environments

https://www.nts.org.uk/stories/mothbusters-at-newhailes


Fascinating piece on a 17th century painting in Paris of an embassy to Jerusalem

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/21/fashion/the-treasure-behind-the-wall.html


Objects


Vigée Le Brun’s Portrait of Muhammad Dervish Khan- nice weapons http://artdaily.com/news/110969/Auc...a-achieved-at-Sotheby-s-New-York#.XFlYtTFCd9A


What turns up in Rotterdam’s gun amnesty

https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2019/02/rotterdam-weapons-amnesty-nets-guns-and-a-samurai-sword/


Exhibitions


Leonardo across the UK- including Leeds…

https://www.rct.uk/collection/theme...MI3JW4z_K14AIVwinTCh3l-gJUEAAYASAAEgLtt_D_BwE


Rembrandt exhibitions round the globe

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/preview/rembrandt-the-big-shows


Reviews of the Stibbert exhibition in The Ringling

https://www.heraldtribune.com/entertainmentlife/20190201/art-review-knights-to-remember-at-ringling

https://www.srqmagazine.com/srq-daily/2019-02-01/10013_Inside-the-Armor-Knights-at-The-Ringling


Medieval Africa in Illinois

http://artdaily.com/news/110836/Med...ajor-exhibition-at-Block-Museum-#.XE10_zFCd9A


Books


Mike Loades: War Bows; Longbow, crossbow, composite bow and Japanese yumi

https://ospreypublishing.com/store/military-history/upcoming-books/available-this-month/war-bows


Benjamin Wardhaugh: Gunpowder and Geometry: The Life of Charles Hutton, Pit Boy, Mathematician and Scientific Rebel

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00443-z


Online Books


Companion of American WWI battlefields

https://www.abmc.gov/sites/default/...C_WWI Battlefield Companion Book_20180904.pdf


Ed. Jeremy Green: Shipwrecks of Ningaloo reef.

http://museum.wa.gov.au/maritime-ar.../files/no._14_shipwrecks_of_ningaloo_reef.pdf



Popular culture- mainly Arthurian


Something for the little ones I suspect, Young Arthur

https://www.iol.co.za/entertainment/tv/louis-ashbourne-serkis-has-acting-in-his-blood-19155183


Piece on A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain

http://www.medievalists.net/2019/02/connecticut-yankee-king-arthurs-court-mark-twain/


Lost Merlin manuscript found in Bristol

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-47062919


Turner and Scott

https://museumcrush.org/turner-and-scott-the-myth-and-memories-of-the-painter-and-the-poet/


Events


Diary Dates


19 – 22 April jousting in Leeds- tickets the perfect valentine gift….

https://royalarmouries.org/event/international-jousting-tournament-2019/


Conferences


23 February 2019 Hindlip Hall

OrdCon conference

http://www.researchpress.co.uk/index.php/news/ordcon-2019


6 -7 May, 2019 Maritime Museum of Tasmania in Hobart, Australia

Hobart Whaling Conference 2019

https://www.whalingconference.org/


10 May 2019 Leeds

The heart of the art of combat - exploring medieval manuscript I.33

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


Calls for papers


17-18 May 2019 London

Trial by Fire conference

https://www.trialbyfireteam.com/submit-an-abstract


16-17 November 2019 Portsmouth

Wooden Walls and Stone Bastions: Ship and ordnance remains on land and under the sea

https://www.nauticalarchaeologysociety.org/annual-conference


September 2019 Kyoto

ICOMAM 2019 Conference, Kyoto (Japan) http://icom-kyoto-2019.org/data/ima...8E-Qdx4KsoD_htE1_BHGVouQhJSu4YRKPyN4D4N8ckh3o


12-13 2019September 12-13, 2019Paris

Craftsmen and metalworking in medieval cities: 35 years later

http://www.medievalists.net/2019/02...talworking-in-medieval-cities-35-years-later/


16-17 November 2019 Portsmouth

Wooden Walls and Stone Bastions: Ship and ordnance remains on land and under the sea

https://www.nauticalarchaeologysociety.org/annual-conference


Sales, fairs and auctions


News from Hermann Historica GmbH

http://artdaily.com/news/110977/Dis...uction-of-Hermann-Historica-GmbH#.XFlZGTFCd9A


2 March 2019 Olympia, London

The Fourth Antique Arms Fair Incorporating the Park Lane Arms

http://antiquearmsfair.com


14 – 15 March 2019

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


Wallis and Wallis dates for 2019

http://www.wallisandwallis.co.uk/auction-dates-2019/


Thomas del Mar dates for 2019

25 June & 4 December 2019

http://www.http://www.medievalists.net/2019/02/northern-crusades-penitential-war/

http://www.medievalists.net/2019/02/mongols-byzantines-bulgarians-golden-horde/

http://www.medievalists.net/2019/02/how-todays-wars-are-similar-to-the-medieval-wars-in-scandinavia/


Finally-Joan of Leeds, who ran away from the nunnery to find lust

http://www.medievalists.net/2019/02/the-medieval-nun-who-faked-her-own-death/


This fortnight I will be tweeting pictures from Cornwall & Devon- castles, gunloops and cannon…

https://twitter.com/Basiliscoe



Compiled by Ruth Rhynas Brown –12 February 2019


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I picked through a few articles that were terrific!!! Will come back to it if I find more time!! Great stuff!!! Thanks Spring!!!!!