A 5thC BC corinthian helmet with the skull of a warrior inside supposedly found at the Battlefield of Marathon, Greece.
The 192 Athenians killed in the battle were cremated, so there's a chance it belonged to one of the 11 Plataean allies who also fell during the fight in 490BC.
It now forms part of the Royal Ontario Museum’s collections, but originally it was discovered by George Nugent-Grenville, who was the British High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands between 1832-35.
A keen antiquarian, Nugent-Grenville carried out a number of rudimentary archaeological excavations in Greece, one of which took place on the Plains of Marathon, where the helmet was uncovered.
The 192 Athenians killed in the battle were cremated, so there's a chance it belonged to one of the 11 Plataean allies who also fell during the fight in 490BC.
It now forms part of the Royal Ontario Museum’s collections, but originally it was discovered by George Nugent-Grenville, who was the British High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands between 1832-35.
A keen antiquarian, Nugent-Grenville carried out a number of rudimentary archaeological excavations in Greece, one of which took place on the Plains of Marathon, where the helmet was uncovered.
The Lough Gur Shield
This bronze shield excavated from Lough Gur gives many people a frisson of excitement as they imagine the warriors who used it in battle. The truth, of course, is less violent but just as fascinating.
Contemporary theory is that this was one of a number of votive offerings deposited in the lake and it was probably never used in battle at all. The fact that the shield dates back to over 700 BC is also an eye-opener in that it shows a thriving level of craftmanship in the country well over two thousand years ago. That’s several hundred years before the time period in which the Fionn mac Cumhaill stories are set.
The shield in the image is actually a replica which can be seen at Lough Gur. The original is kept in the National Museum of Ireland (for obvious reasons).
This bronze shield excavated from Lough Gur gives many people a frisson of excitement as they imagine the warriors who used it in battle. The truth, of course, is less violent but just as fascinating.
Contemporary theory is that this was one of a number of votive offerings deposited in the lake and it was probably never used in battle at all. The fact that the shield dates back to over 700 BC is also an eye-opener in that it shows a thriving level of craftmanship in the country well over two thousand years ago. That’s several hundred years before the time period in which the Fionn mac Cumhaill stories are set.
The shield in the image is actually a replica which can be seen at Lough Gur. The original is kept in the National Museum of Ireland (for obvious reasons).
Phillip II’s Chair
From this series of stepped platforms, it is said that Philip II of Spain monitored the construction of the seat of the Spanish Empire. The platform, as well as the four seats located on the north side, was said to be engraved at the command of the king to accommodate him and his entourage.
Formed by three stone seats separated by armrests, this seat is supposedly where the king sat to supervise the works of the Monastery of El Escorial, headquarters of the immense Spanish Empire. The story behind the chair was a common legend, and while the king did come hunt and walk in the area, evidence points to a different origin story.
In 1999, the archeologist Alicia M. Canto of the Autonomous University of Madrid suggested that the whole complex could be a sacrificial altar built by the Vettones, a people of Celtic origin who lived on the Iberian Peninsula before the Romans arrived. Other altars in the area show similar Celtic influence, such as Panóias in Portugal. Not far from La Silla are the remains of another, older possible altar.
From this series of stepped platforms, it is said that Philip II of Spain monitored the construction of the seat of the Spanish Empire. The platform, as well as the four seats located on the north side, was said to be engraved at the command of the king to accommodate him and his entourage.
Formed by three stone seats separated by armrests, this seat is supposedly where the king sat to supervise the works of the Monastery of El Escorial, headquarters of the immense Spanish Empire. The story behind the chair was a common legend, and while the king did come hunt and walk in the area, evidence points to a different origin story.
In 1999, the archeologist Alicia M. Canto of the Autonomous University of Madrid suggested that the whole complex could be a sacrificial altar built by the Vettones, a people of Celtic origin who lived on the Iberian Peninsula before the Romans arrived. Other altars in the area show similar Celtic influence, such as Panóias in Portugal. Not far from La Silla are the remains of another, older possible altar.