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Archaeologists find 3000-year-old sword, exceptionally well preserved

newsingermany.com

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Re: Archaeologists find 3000-year-old sword, exceptionally well preserved

#41

Post by adrian_b »

civilitty wrote: post #31
AnimalMuppet wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the handle is metal, why would it ever need to be replaced? It's not going to rot, and it's not going to break.

It’s not that the handle is going to rot, it’s that there’s zero shock absorption. The fact that it doesn’t have a replaceable handle probably means that it’s for ceremonial purposes, not fighting. Hitting another sword with it would be exhausting and painful.

I doubt that "shock absorption" would have been a problem.

This kind of sword would not have been used like a hammer.

The wavy pattern on the bronze handle would have ensured a firm grip even with a sweaty or wet hand. I have some Japanese Tojiro kitchen knives, which have stainless steel handles with a similar pattern on the handle, and they are more comfortable than most of the knife handles made of wood or plastic, especially when used with a dirty hand.

So based on this experience, I do not believe that such a bronze handle would have been a serious disadvantage, even if it is possible that the sword was purely ceremonial.

Re: Archaeologists find 3000-year-old sword, exceptionally well preserved

#43

Post by oh_sigh »

beloch wrote: post #21
lordleft wrote: post #12

It's funny to think that the fantasy/speculative fiction trope of "precursor civilization that has advanced tech" was probably grounded in the historical memory of people happening upon ruins, weapons and artifacts of extraordinary craftsmanship.

Such myths are likely based on classical Rome rather than bronze age discoveries. For several centuries after the Western empire fell apart, Europeans lacked the capability to build settlements or structures anywhere close to the size typical of classical Roman civilization. Populations were depressed by pestilence, social order had declined, and most Europeans were within a short distance from a former Roman settlem…

It goes further back than that. In 400BC, Xenophon, while retreating from a failed attempt at taking Babylon, came across the abandoned ruins of a bunch of Assyrian cities, like Nineveh and wrote about them. 200 years after being abandoned, they were far more impressive than anything Xenophon would have seen in his home country. For example, Athens at that point had a city wall(the Themistoclean wall) approximately 5 miles circumference, made of rubble, 30' tall, 10' thick at the base

Compare to what Xenophon saw at Nineveh: A city wall 7.5 miles circumference, made of stone and brick, 55' tall and up to 50' thick. The most impressive structures he would have ever seen - just out in the middle of nowhere, absolutely abandoned.

Re: Archaeologists find 3000-year-old sword, exceptionally well preserved

#44

Post by Apreche »

cheese_van wrote: post #11
Apreche wrote: post #3

What kind of news site is this? Seems fake. Not reported anywhere else.

Not fake but rather breaking news. Bavarian State Office for the Care of Monuments official press release was yesterday, the 14th: https://www.blfd.bayern.de/mam/blfd/presse/pi_bronzezeitlich... But what a beautiful sword!

Glad to be wrong!

Re: Archaeologists find 3000-year-old sword, exceptionally well preserved

#45

Post by boomboomsubban »

beloch wrote: post #21
lordleft wrote: post #12

It's funny to think that the fantasy/speculative fiction trope of "precursor civilization that has advanced tech" was probably grounded in the historical memory of people happening upon ruins, weapons and artifacts of extraordinary craftsmanship.

Such myths are likely based on classical Rome rather than bronze age discoveries. For several centuries after the Western empire fell apart, Europeans lacked the capability to build settlements or structures anywhere close to the size typical of classical Roman civilization. Populations were depressed by pestilence, social order had declined, and most Europeans were within a short distance from a former Roman settlem…

Most of what you wrote was true for the most of the Mediterranean after the Bronze Age collapse too. That is why the Greeks and Romans also had such myths, remember Atlantis is something that seemingly originated with Plato.

Re: Archaeologists find 3000-year-old sword, exceptionally well preserved

#47

Post by kokanee »

coldpie wrote: post #42

It blows my mind that these godawful cookie banners is where we ended up. Web devs, you clowns need get your shit together. No, the law doesn't require you to do this. Go back to the drawing board and do better.

Agree with the sentiment, disagree with the assignment of blame. Blame legal, marketing, design, or PM. No web dev decided this was how they wanted to spend a day.

Re: Archaeologists find 3000-year-old sword, exceptionally well preserved

#48

Post by usrusr »

beloch wrote: post #21
lordleft wrote: post #12

It's funny to think that the fantasy/speculative fiction trope of "precursor civilization that has advanced tech" was probably grounded in the historical memory of people happening upon ruins, weapons and artifacts of extraordinary craftsmanship.

Such myths are likely based on classical Rome rather than bronze age discoveries. For several centuries after the Western empire fell apart, Europeans lacked the capability to build settlements or structures anywhere close to the size typical of classical Roman civilization. Populations were depressed by pestilence, social order had declined, and most Europeans were within a short distance from a former Roman settlem…

That trope is about something so forgotten that any discoveries would be entirely unexpected. But awareness of Rome was never lost, quite the opposite. Even bureaucratic connections survived, they just shifted back a gear from political to spiritual authority. Most nominal titles like count or duke assumed by european nobility derive their names from some role in Roman administration, they all considered themselves as continuation of something that never disappeared but merely changed shape.

Re: Archaeologists find 3000-year-old sword, exceptionally well preserved

#49

Post by legitster »

coldpie wrote: post #42

It blows my mind that these godawful cookie banners is where we ended up. Web devs, you clowns need get your shit together. No, the law doesn't require you to do this. Go back to the drawing board and do better.

> Web devs, you clowns need get your shit together. No, the law doesn't require you to do this.

Your comment is a good reminder that a median HN opinion has no idea what they are talking about.

This reads almost word for word what one of our execs might have expressed at us 6 years ago when we started doing GDPR compliance.

Re: Archaeologists find 3000-year-old sword, exceptionally well preserved

#50

Post by bee_rider »

adrian_b wrote: post #41
civilitty wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s not that the handle is going to rot, it’s that there’s zero shock absorption. The fact that it doesn’t have a replaceable handle probably means that it’s for ceremonial purposes, not fighting. Hitting another sword with it would be exhausting and painful.

I doubt that "shock absorption" would have been a problem. This kind of sword would not have been used like a hammer. The wavy pattern on the bronze handle would have ensured a firm grip even with a sweaty or wet hand. I have some Japanese Tojiro kitchen knives, which have stainless steel handles with a similar pattern on the handle, and they are more comfortable than most of the knife handles made of wood or plastic…

I have found though that my kitchen knife is not very good when I have to parry, or when I have to bash my way through a shield.
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