Prehistoric Belief, Bronze Age Design and Imperial Remains Documenting a Late Bronze Age sword at the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle. Hello fellow (pre-)history enthusiasts, from time to time, closer inspection of artefacts reveals patterns that are as simple as they are profound. At other times, new discoveries remind us how complex and layered our understanding of the past has become. This issue brings together both: geometry and belief, craftsmanship and power — and the enduring human...

Continuity in European Combat Arts? Hello fellow sword enthusiasts, researchers, and fighters, How did people actually fight in close combat 3,000 years ago—and how much of that knowledge survived into the age of the fechtbücher? Mycenaean imagery occassionally shows an overhand thrust known as oberstich in late medieval German combat treatises Recently, a viewer asked why I do not demonstrate the use of Bronze Age swords with what he called a “hammer grip” — essentially gripping the weapon...

Studying Originals, Recreating History Holding an original Bronze Age sword in your hands is always a moment of quiet astonishment. Hello archaeology aficionados, The ingenious design and ergonomics of these weapons never cease to amaze me. Thanks to the courtesy of Professor Harald Meller and Dr Jan-Heinrich Bunnefeld, I had the opportunity to examine several bronze swords at the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle, home of the world-famous Nebra Sky Disc. One of the grips that works really...