Impending Return of the Hobo Historian

Visual Inspiration and Audience Questions

Some guy on the East Coast has kidnapped my old podcast cohost and will be putting him in front of the camera for audio-visual exploitation.  I asked my twitter friends to suggest topics and here they are:

Andrew Edwards (author of King of Dogs) asks for comments on push daggers. Image is an antique for sale here $$$$.

A fellow known as King of the Blind writes, "I would be interested in his take on bayonets. Before ww1/2 militaries seemed to treat it as primary and shooting as secondary."  

Brown Bess Bayonet:

1968, student protest against military government in Brazil:

WWI photo of French troops in a bayonet charge:

The following are photos I've run across of beautiful weapons and armor.  I would like James to talk about how the ancients acquired and maintained such belongings, what is the significance of ornamentation or style development, and comment on his favorite historical examples.

From Gareth Harney on twitter:

Ancient bronze Samnite helmet and neck-guard dating to 450 BC. The Samnite people of central Italy were staunch enemies of the ascendant Roman Republic but after three wars were forced to recognise the supremacy of Rome.

The Worthing helmet, a 3rd century Roman cavalry parade helmet made of gilded copper alloy, decorated with sea dragons and a very grumpy eagle's head. Dredged from the River Wensum near Norwich in 1947.

A stunning Corinthian bronze helmet with engraved decoration, a grotesque Gorgon on the forehead, serpent eyebrows and mirrored prancing lions on the cheek guards. Similar surviving helmets suggest these decorations were once gilded in gold-leaf. Iberia, 6th-5th Century BC

From Jim Craig on twitter:

On the neck guard of this remarkable 1stC AD Roman helmet found near the Rhine are the engraved names of its ancient previous owners. Titus and Statorius from Antonius Fronto's century had both owned this helmet suggesting it saw years of service and quite possibly a few battles.

Beautiful Italian knives showing regional styles:

Hernan Cortes on twitter gives us this:

King Henry V was able to survive a six inch deep arrow wound to the face due to English surgeons having real healing skill. A mass grave from the battle of Towton in 1461 had a veteran with a large healed wound, likely from a sword. He probably died from a poleaxe to the face.

Hope that gives you something to get started on!