10. Roman Weaponry A trove of ancient Roman weapons has been
unearthed at a prehistoric settlement in Spain. It's called Son Catlar, and it's on the Balearic
Islands. The site is famous for its preserved fortifications, as well as its deep Roman roots.
Researchers surveying the ancient settlement found a small cache of Roman military equipment
dating back to roughly the year 100 BC. These researchers, scholars from several universities
in Spain, didn't just discover swords and spears, they found an entire arsenal. Projectiles, knives,
arrowheads, and even ordinary military supplies like surgical implements and cooking equipment.
Son Catlar was occupied by the Talayotic people and was the largest of their settlements. It
boasts a perimeter wall of nearly 3000 feet (914m) around that’s the size of an NFL football field.
It also had talayots towers, which are what gave this prehistoric society its name.
So, how did Roman weapons end up in the settlement of a relatively unknown ancient society? It was
all because of their conquests. Roman soldiers conquered and occupied this Spanish island,
wiped out most of the people, and garrisoned themselves there for decades. The whole place
was eventually abandoned, and the Romans left a lot of their fighting supplies behind.
The Romans weren't the last people to occupy the islands. After the defeat of the Romans,
the Vandals came. They were a Germanic tribe who sacked Rome, battled the Huns and the Goths
and founded a kingdom in North Africa. That empire flourished for about a century until it fell to an
invasion force from the Byzantine Empire. History has not been kind to the Vandals.
Then the Moors took control of the island, and finally the Spaniards, and all left their mark
on this ancient settlement. 9. Fish Scale Armor
Inside a Chinese tomb, archaeologists uncovered fish scale armor once worn by an ancient warrior.
Researchers believe this fascinating armor is a rare example of blended technology
between the East and West from 2500 years ago. The armor is quite complex. It's made of over
5000 overlapping leather scales, complete with intricate and expert craftsmanship.
The warrior who once wore this incredible armor had probably put the garment on like an
apron. They would have slid it over their head, fastened some ties, and been ready for battle. It
was a unique design when it was made because the Chinese weren't using this type of armor. Instead,
the idea probably originated from the Middle East. The armor was discovered inside an archaeological
site near the city of Turfan, which is on the fringe of the Taklamakan Desert. Because of
its 5000 scales, it would have offered exemplary protection primarily against blunt force attacks,
piercing attacks, and arrows. Inside the grave, archaeologists also found the remains of the man
who probably wore the armor, a guy estimated to be around 30 when he died. They also found
a sheep's skull and some fragments of pottery. Now here's something that's really cool about
ancient scaled armor. The material used for the scales varied dramatically. Sometimes they used
pangolin scales, or paper, bronze, iron, and even leather from various cattle-like animals.
Each material offered distinct advantages and disadvantages. They would even make these armor
sets for their horses to protect them when they rode into battle. The Egyptians used scale armor,
like a piece found in the tomb of Tutankhamun. The Scythians used similar armor,
and so did the samurai in Feudal Japan. 8. Three Generations of Women Warriors
Inside a Russian tomb, archaeologists have discovered three generations of ancient Amazonian
women warriors. According to the Russian Institute of Archaeology, their researchers
uncovered the remains of four Amazon women, each a different age but all buried in the same tomb.
It's the first time in history that this kind of surprising discovery has been made.
One girl was between 12 and 13 when she died. The second was between 20 and 29.
The third was between 25 and 35. And finally, the fourth was between 45 and 50.
That's three generations of Amazonians. How do we know they were warriors? It's all
because of items discovered at the burial site. Archaeologists uncovered iron arrowheads, knives,
animal bones, horse harnesses, and hooks made from iron. Since they were from the 4th century BC, the
artifacts helped to date the burial. The artifacts also suggest that these women were warriors.
The horse harnesses had likely been used while patrolling the countryside on horseback.
They had probably been experienced archers, considering the arrowheads.
For those unsure of who the Amazonians were, here's a bit of background.
They are also known as the Scythians, and they were nomadic people who lived across what is now
Russia and parts of Central Asia over 2500 years ago. The culture is famous for its women warriors,
and was actually the inspiration behind Wonder Woman and the Amazonians of the DC universe!
7. Migration Period Sword The Migration Period sword was extremely
popular between the 4th to 7th centuries AD. It was reallu big with Germanic people and got its
inspiration from the Roman sword, the spatha. It would ultimately be the inspiration for the Viking
sword in the 8th century and was one of the most heavily used weapons of the Merovingian Period.
But there aren't too many examples of this type of sword left today. While the blade was forged
to be smooth, broad, and made with multiple layers of metal, the handles were usually
built of wood or another perishable material. So, over the past 1500 years, most have decayed.
The majority of surviving examples have been found in Scandinavia in the form of ring swords.
Ring swords were a particular variant of the Migration Period sword.
They had small rings on the hilts and weren’t as pointy as you would expect a sword to be.
The tip ended at a kind of dull arc, and wouldn't have been very good for stabbing. Instead,
these were slashing swords, heavy and sometimes so blunt, they were basically used like clubs.
A handful have been found in England, Germany, and Scandinavia. One of them was found in a tomb
in Bavaria from around 620 AD, engraved with four runes in the shape of a Christian cross,
a surprising blend of old Norse customs and newer Christian symbols.
6. Tang Dynasty Armor Back in 2019, archaeologist Zhang
Wei was investigating a mysterious tomb complex found in China. When he entered the burial room,
he discovered a massive iron object lying on the coffin bed. He didn't immediately recognize it.
But he soon found out exactly what it was, the only complete set of iron armor from the
Tang Dynasty ever discovered in the country. This was a fascinating find, as the warrior’s
armor was crafted sometime between 618 and 907 AD. It was such a rare discovery that it was
taken away to a lab, where for nearly two years archaeologists painstakingly went through the
restoration process to bring the armor back to its former glory. The complete set consists of over
2000 individual iron plates, and in the beginning, the restoration team had no clue how to put them
back in the right order. They had to look at historical documents, ancient murals,
and other visual aids for help. It was kind of like trying to figure out a 2000-piece puzzle by
looking at the picture on the front of the box. One reason armor and weapons are so rare to find
from the Tang Dynasty of China is that they had a law restricting military material from being
buried with a person. The only difference, in this case, is that the man who was buried
was General Murong Zhi, a legendary warrior and one of the highest members of society.
He was given a pass, allowed to be buried with his impressive set of iron armor,
which, by the way, was significantly better than the flimsy armor the common soldiers had worn.
Which culture do you think had the most impressive armor? Was it the Greeks,
the Chinese, or the Romans? Let me know your thoughts in the comments and don't forget to
subscribe before the end of the video! 5. Forgotten Warrior Tribe
In a medieval cemetery in eastern Poland, archaeologists recently discovered some very
rare warrior weapons. Swords, spears, and knives, along with hundreds of other fragmented items.
What makes this discovery unique is that the weapons belonged to a famous warrior culture from
one thousand years ago called the Yotvingians. They lived in the Suwalki region of Poland,
a Baltic people with cultural ties to both the Prussians and the Lithuanians.
Yet they spoke their own unique language, kind of like old Prussian, but a little different.
These fearsome warriors had a good run during the Middle Ages, but, like so many small cultures,
were absorbed into the larger Slavic and Germanic cultures that surrounded them on all sides.
This discovery of weaponry came from the biggest Yotvingian cemetery from the Middle Ages.
According to archaeologist Jerzy Siemaszko, they occupied this area
between the 11th and 13th centuries and used this enormous cemetery for burial rituals.
They would create massive funeral pyres, dump the dead bodies of their warriors into the flames,
and then throw gifts for the dead into the fire. The enthusiasm created by the find has been
moderate because treasure hunters seem to have got there first, stealing about 1,000
items even though such activities are illegal and bring with them a prison term of up to 10 years.
The region of the discovery is now protected and its location is kept secret to prevent
further theft. 4. The Golden Sword
The burial site of an ancient nomadic warrior was recently found in Ukraine.
Within the burial, a remarkably well-preserved short sword gilded with gold was found.
The archaeologists were working at Mount Mamai, a massive burial site north of the
Black Sea and one of the biggest in the entirety of Europe. It was used for several thousand years,
from the start of the Stone Age to the introduction of the classical era. There have
been over 700 individual burial sites found at Mount Mamai, at least 400 of which are Scythian.
This place is so big that for 32 consecutive seasons, archaeologists have been busy digging
up graves. This most recent grave belonged to a young Scythian fighter. He was around
the age of 18 when he died and was buried with buckles for horses, an ax, some arrows,
and the most impressive discovery of all, a traditional Scythian short sword called an akinak.
Even though the weapon was heavily corroded, it was still in decent condition. It was once gilded
in gold, suggesting the warrior who wielded it was also a young man of great wealth and
prestige. And yet he was only 18 years old! The items have been removed for further
investigation and preservation. All the artifacts, including the gilded short sword,
will ultimately be put on display at the Museum of Local History (in Kamianets-Dniprovsky). There
are more digs planned at the massive site and more burial places and treasures to be found!
3. Lost Roman Dagger Nico Calman, an archaeology intern with
the Westphalia Department for the Preservation and Care of Field Monuments in Germany (that was
a mouthful!) , made a fantastic discovery. He came across a silver Roman dagger dated 2000 years old.
And this was no ordinary ornamental dagger. It was likely used in the 1st century AD while the
Romans waged war against a Germanic tribe in the north. The knife was found still in its sheath,
buried in the grave of a warrior at the archaeological site of Haltern at the Lake.
The dagger comes from the Augustan period, between 37 BC and 14 AD. During this time,
Haltern on the Lake was home to a military base of about 20,000 Roman soldiers. It was
at the very fringe of the Roman Empire, with nothing but the barbaric Germanic tribes beyond.
When those tribes marched south and took on Rome and all her might, this military base
was not prepared. In the year 9 AD, the tribes swept through the region, and all 20,000 of the
soldiers were brutally slaughtered. They were a lonely military force at the edge of the empire,
with no reinforcements and no way to take on all the tribes of the north at once.
The only thing about the dagger is that it probably didn't see that much action. It was small
and only useful at close range. It would have been a backup weapon, dangling from the soldier’s belt,
deployed only when he had lost all other weapons and was forced into savage hand-to-hand combat.
It was not the usual practice for Roman soldiers to be buried with their military gear and the
researchers were unsure why the weapon was buried along with its owner. Now removed from its tomb,
the dagger will soon be displayed in Haltern’s Roman history museum, beginning in 2022.
2. The Eagle Warriors The infamous Eagle Warriors
of the Aztecs were elite infantrymen unlike any other fighting force of the ancient world.
These warriors had distinguished themselves as masters of the battlefield,
which elevated them from being mere soldiers. They were brought into an elite warrior society,
with the members often being raised to nobility even if they had started as commoners.
Land was also given to the warriors. This property was tax-free, and whatever profit that was made
from it belonged to them. The gift was for life and could be passed on to their successors.
Although they were full-time soldiers, the eagle warriors were also involved in politics.
In the Aztec language, they were called cuauhtli. These warriors even dressed
like eagles when they went into battle. They wore eagle feathers and had helmets
with huge eagle beaks on the front that they could see out of while fighting.
Out of all the warriors we’ve seen today, the Aztec special forces were some of the
most terrifying to behold on the battlefield. They even had quilted
cotton armor decorated in eagle fashion, and a round shield adorned with many feathers.
But it was no simple task to become an Eagle Warrior. While we don't know for sure what all the
requirements were, we have some idea. Most sources agree that a single warrior needed to capture at
least twenty enemy warriors within two consecutive battles, and they had to capture them alive!
1. Ancient Romanian Sword In Romania, a sword over 3000 years old
was just discovered in a gravel pit. A worker was busy sifting through the pit in the small city of
Buzau when he came across the ancient weapon. It was being pulled across the conveyor belt
with chunks of gravel. It couldn’t have been any easier to find, although if he had looked away for
just a second, he probably would have missed it. The bronze sword is interesting because it appears
to have been made inside of a mold. Thousands of years ago, a blacksmith had perfected his craft,
made himself a mold to make sword making easier, and then started distributing the exact same
sword. You might find this fascinating because we often think of ancient blacksmiths as bashing
metal into a form on an anvil, building everything from scratch. But even 3000 years ago, experts
had efficient ways to mass-produce the most valuable things in society, like deadly weapons.
We don’t know exactly who the sword belonged to. It may have been a nobleman, but it was probably
a warrior. Archaeologists suspect whoever had wielded the sword was buried with it,
meaning their skeleton is probably lost somewhere still in the gravel pit, or it’s been mashed into
gravel and is dust in somebody’s driveway. What do you think was the coolest ancient
warrior’s weapon? Let me know in the comments and thanks for watching. Hit that subscribe button to
help support the channel. And be sure to come back soon for more amazing videos on ancient history!