PREVIEW

Researchers have confirmed that the ‘Dendra Armour’, one of the most complete examples of Mycenaean-era full-body armour, was suitable for active warfare.
The 3,500-year-old Ancient Greek bronze armour was originally discovered in the 1960s in a tomb in the Greek village of Dendra by Greek and Swedish archaeologists. However, they were baffled as to its use - wondering if it was for battle or merely ceremonial.
Now, an international team of researchers, led by Professor Andreas Flouris from the University of Thessaly, has now addressed this question through a series of rigorous tests. Using a metal replica of the Dendra armour, created in the 1980s by Bournville College of Art in Birmingham, UK, Greek military volunteers participated in an 11-hour simulation of Bronze Age combat protocols based on Homer's Iliad.
"The armour that our volunteers wore was the same dimensions and similar weight to the Bronze Age original," explained Professor Flouris. "We monitored calorie intake based on a 'Homeric diet' (about 4,443 calories) and measured heart rate, oxygen consumption, core temperature, fluid loss, and muscular function during the simulation."
The study found that the armour allowed full flexibility of movement and did not exert excessive physiological stress on the body.
"Despite its cumbersome appearance, the Dendra armour is flexible enough to permit almost every movement of a warrior on foot and resilient enough to protect the wearer from most blows," Flouris said.
These findings are significant as they offer a deeper understanding of the Mycenaeans' impact in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Dr Ken Wardle, a Senior Lecturer in Classics, Ancient History, and Archaeology at the University of Birmingham, highlighted the broader implications of this research.
"Hittite records of military interactions with the Ahhiyawa, another name for the Mycenaeans, show that they had a substantial presence in western Asia Minor in the second half of the 2nd Millennium BC. This suggests that the Mycenaeans had a significant military force, partly due to their advanced armour technology."
The research also sheds light on the collapse of the Eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age civilizations towards the end of the 2nd Millennium BC, a period marked by destruction and upheaval that led to the beginning of the Iron Age.
"Descriptions of bronze armour in the Iliad were thought to be later interpolations or poetic license, but this research suggests otherwise," Wardle added. "Viewing the armour in light of these historical records helps to illuminate one of history's most momentous turning points."
The findings also add detail to contemporary historical records of armour in Greece and Egypt, including sketches on Linear B tablets from Knossos in Crete and illustrations of Mycenaean warriors on Egyptian papyrus. The research indicates that the Mycenaeans' powerful impact in the Eastern Mediterranean was partly due to their armour technology, providing new insights into the social transformations of the prehistoric world.