DO YOU KNOW ### 1.....WARRIORS OF BRONZE AGE

Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. It was circulated in the form of ingots, and these could then be used to make items ranging from decorative wire to shields and swords. Moulds have been found, showing how the weapons were cast from molten bronze; once the metal cooled, it could be hammered into shape and given a sharp edge. 'Classic' bronze has 10 per cent tin, and 'mild' bronze has only 6 per cent. Classic bronze can be brittle once hardened, and was used to make large swords, socketed spear- and axe-heads, and even wheels. The 'mild' form could be hammered into sheets, was relatively flexible and resilient, and was used to make armour.

Typically, a Mycenaean warrior had a couple of swords - which might be elaborately decorated - a dagger and a spear. Both daggers and swords had an inherent design weakness where the blade joined the hilt, and there were adaptations over time. These could easily have led to a change in the way warriors fought: slashing instead of thrusting at their opponents. Armour is very rare in the archaeological record, though there is one set which was found in a contemporary tomb at Dendra, also on the Peloponnese; it covers the torso and has added shoulder pieces, arm guards and skirt sections. A replica of this was made; though it was possible for the wearer to move and fight, the armour was cumbersome and heavy (about 25 kg), and there has been some speculation that most warriors would probably have used layered leather, perhaps with bronze plaques. The helmet certainly was made using leather – and the unusual kind described by Homer, and assumed to be imaginary, has shown up in the archaeological record. It was covered by plates made from boars' tusks, arranged in a decorative pattern, and there are small ivory heads of men from Mycenae wearing just this sort of helmet.

The only evidence of shields comes from wall paintings, images on pots and seals, and small ivory models. They are also shown on the 'lion hunt' dagger, where two different types can be seen: the large 'figure of eight' ones, and an equally large rectangular type. These were probably made from leather stretched over a wicker frame; patterning is often shown which looks like the markings on cowhide. Smaller shields appeared later, in the 12th century BC.