Bronze Age armor proves battle-ready after marine combat testing

By Stephen Beech via SWNS

A 3,500-year-old suit of armor was pronounced viable for extended combat after rigorous testing by present day Marines.

They ran grueling combat drills in the Bronze Age body armor based on historic texts, finding it not just ceremonial, but battle-worthy.

The Mycenaean armor was found near the Greek village of Dendra, a few miles from ancient Mycenae, in 1960.

But it was not clear whether if it was a ceremonial suit or worn in battle.

Experts say the question has important implications for understanding warfare in Late Bronze Age Europe, but no historical accounts described the use of that style of armor.

The international research team, including scientists from the Universities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton, combined historical and experimental evidence to investigate the combat suitability of the Dendra armor for the new study published in the journal PLOS One.

They recruited 13 volunteers from the Marines of the Hellenic Armed Forces, equipped them with replicas of the Dendra armor and Bronze Age weapons, and ran them through an 11-hour simulated Bronze Age combat protocol.

The combat simulation was developed based on historical accounts from Homer’s Iliad along with additional physiological and environmental evidence to create an approximation of the typical diet, activities, and maneuvers of the Mycenaean military.

Study leader Professor Andreas Flouris said: "The experiment found that the replicated Dendra armor did not limit a warrior’s fighting ability or cause severe strain on the wearer.

"These results suggest that the Dendra armor was battle-worthy, implying that the Mycenaean’s powerful impact in Mediterranean history was due partly to their armor technology."

To supplement their findings, the research team developed freely-available software that enables the simulation of combat conditions to test the hypothetical efficiency of the armor in more varied scenarios.

Flouris, of the University of Thessaly, Greece, added: "Further research into Mycenaean combat technology will continue to illuminate details on the Late Bronze Age and the transition into the Iron Age."