But what was this strange armor for? It dates back to 3,500 years ago and was long considered ceremonial clothing in Mycenaean culture. However, tests carried out by Greek soldiers show that it would be particularly suitable for combat.
Seeing them harnessed like this, it is hard to believe that these soldiers were capable of fighting. And yet, this armor dates back to the Bronze Age, to be exact Mycenaean civilization, would represent a sure advantage during the fight. In any case, that’s what the soldiers of the Greek Navy who were able to test it say.
Thirteen volunteers participated in the game, as part of a very serious research, the results of which were published in the magazine Level one.
Simple ceremonial armor or real combat gear?
The armor was discovered in 1960 near the village of Dendra, a few kilometers away ancient city from Mycenae, after which it was named powerful civilization of southern Greece and who knew his apogeeapogee between -1400 and -1200 Given its strange appearance, its actual usefulness on the battlefield was quickly questioned, with some scholars suggesting that it was merely ceremonial armor. There is never any mention of this type of armor in historical texts relating to battles fought by the Mycenaeans.
Fairly effective armor in combat conditions
In order to find out exactly whether this armor is unsuitable for combat, a team of researchers conducted extensive experiments. The volunteers were equipped with replicas of Dendra’s armor and simulated combat for nearly 11 hours, performing military maneuvers described in historical texts. Thus, against all expectations, it turned out that the armor does not limit combat capabilities in any way.
It has even proven to be very effective, to the point that researchers are wondering if it did not play a role in the dominance of the Mycenaean civilization.