Mycenaean era archaeology Research Papers (original) (raw)

Keywords: archaeophysiology, archaeology, physiology, physical performance, tactical athletes, panoply, armor, armour, ancient swordsmanship, battle, combat, combat stimulation, battle mode, Bronze Age, Homer’s “Iliad”, weapon use, sword, xiphos, spear, horse carriage, shield, helmet, bow, warrior, fighter, soldier, battle physiology, theatre of operations, battle environment, Greeks, Achaeans, Trojans, Trojan War, Mycenean civilization, history, marines, Greek Army, Hellenic Army, special forces, dietary, nutrition, battle psychology, reflexes, body temperature, target deflection, fatigue, glucose, visual stimulation, hearing stimulation, reaction time.
The purpose of this research is to study the manner of battle and the use of weapons by a Greek warrior who was fully armored during archaic times and more specifically in the Bronze Age (Trojan War period). The main question of the research was whether the "Dedra panoply" was useful battle equipment or was an artifact for use only in the rituals and celebrations of the time. Due to the originality of the research and the lack of precedent data, a new branch of science was required: the "Archeophysiology" ®, that is, the combination of archeology (through archaeological findings and ancient texts) and physiology (through the creation of specific physical performance protocols, manufacturing of equipment and taking measurements in a simulated combat environment). Measurements were required to be made, to assess the various factors affecting the human physiology of already trained and professional fighters (warriors), who are now identified as “tactical athletes”.

For the most realistic approach to the battle, noncommissioned officers and privates of the Hellenic Armed Forces (HAF) and in particular from the Special Forces (SF) of the Marines were used, who executed, a Trojan War-based combat protocol created by studying the Homeric Epic of the "Iliad" (Maronitiw D.N., 2016) (Asimoglou P., Petmezas S., Flouris A., Koutedakis Y.2, Fatouros I.2, Giakas I.2, Jamurtas AZ2, Wardle K. & D.3,2017). The creation of the battle protocol took into account: the morphology of the terrain, the environmental conditions, the time constraints of the different phases of the battle (transition - engagement - return), the respective geographical distances traveled by the warriors daily, as well as the different combinations of weapons and fighting techniques of the corresponding time period described in the Iliad (Petmezas S., Asimoglou P., Flouris A., Koutedakis Y.2, Fatouros I.2, Giakas I.2, Jamurtas A.2, Wardle K. & D.3, 2017).
The combat equipment used by the volunteers of the HAF consisted of a complete armor replica of the Mycenaean era, a helmet and replicas of the weapons of the era (shape-weight-materials-construction techniques). The weapons used in the various techniques of armor were: spear (throws – thrusts/close combat blows), Mycenaean sword 85 cm long (thrusts/slashing blows - cuts), Mycenaean bow (close range shots) and other materials found on battlefield, in our case medium /small stone (throws).
A study was also carried out and measurements were taken of the use of a two-horse battle carriage and its effect on the physiology of the user as well as on the nutrition and other habits of the ancient tactical athletes during a whole day in battle engagement. At the same time, measurements were performed of the effect of fatigue on warrior psychology, its effect on target accuracy and fighter’s reflexes (speed) using visual and auditory stimuli equipment.
A total of 13 healthy adult men volunteers (Hellenic Army Special Forces) (age 29.2 ± 7.9 years, height 172.7 ± 4.5 cm, weight 74.1 ± 6.8 kg) participated in the research. The physiology measurements performed throughout the protocol were: skin temperature, produced force (total and mean value) of blows in each different combination of battle techniques, stroke (target) deviation (total and mean value) of the hits in each different type of combat, the difference in the deviation of volunteers’ blows from the target center by type of combat, the subjective perception of warriors’ fatigue, blood glucose concentration, urine specific gravity and color at the beginning and end of the protocol, reaction time to visual and auditory stimuli throughout the protocol.
Results showed a positive low power correlation (r = 0.119, p <0.001) between skin temperature and protocol steps. The total force output of the volunteers’ blows in each different type of battle showed a statistically significant positive high force correlation (r = 0.802, p <0.001) between the total force produced and the blows numbers. The difference in mean power produced by battle type showed statistically significant changes [F (3, 503) = 18.6; p <0.001] by type of battle. Also, the analysis of the total deviation of the volunteer blows from the target in each different type of battle showed statistically significant changes in the total blow number deviation [F (3, 503) = 96.0; p <0.001] by type of battle. The difference in the deviation of volunteer blows from the target based on the type of battle did not show any statistically significant changes in the mean deviation of volunteer blows from the target (p> 0.05). The total force produced, the mean generated force, the total deviation of the blows from the target, as well as the mean deviation of the blows from the target during the different phases of the protocol in battle “1vs1” showed that the total produced force [F (30, 372) = 1.5; p = 0.047] decreased from start to the end of protocol. The total force produced, the mean produced force, the total stroke deviation from the target, and the mean deviation of the strokes from the target during the different phases of the protocol in the “chariot vs chariot” battle did not show statistically significant differences in some of the variables considered (p> 0.05) between the variables considered and the protocol stage. Subjective perception of volunteer fatigue showed a positive high force correlation (r = 0.603, p <0.001) which was statistically significant. The blood glucose concentration of the volunteers showed a statistically significant decrease in glucose concentration [F (7, 95) = 3.0; p = 0.007] which was statistically significant (r = -0.234, p = 0.017). Urine specific gravity analysis and urine color at the beginning and end of the protocol showed no statistically significant differences in any of the variables examined (p> 0.05). The same analysis showed a statistically significant positive correlation between urine specific gravity and urine color (r = 0.683, p <0.001). The reaction time to visual stimulus showed no statistically significant changes (p> 0.05). The reaction time to auditory stimuli showed an increase in reaction time which was judged to be close to statistical significance [F (7, 96) = 1.94; p = 0.07].
Through this research and the science of archeophysiology, it turned out that the particular type of armor used was useful (combat) warfare equipment and not only for ritual use. It was carried on the battlefield by important military agents (commanders/army chiefs) providing maximum protection to the warrior who wore it from the Bronze Age weapons throughout the battle. The similarity of archaic period battle equipment in form, weight and use, to its modern combat equipment, proves the functional perfection achieved by the ancestors of the Greeks some 3500 years ago, both in the manufacture of the equipment and in the manner of training the human body to fully utilize personal combat equipment.