I was wondering if anyone knew anything or could recognize this helmet type from a warrior on the High Cross at Durrow (thought to be showing Cain and Abel).  The pointed top made me think Norman style (and so Viking-inspired), but the cheek-plates and rigid-looking plate on the back of the neck loo...

I first contacted Coins, the address suggested for the Citi Money Room (where it's on display), and they told me to contact the Portable Antiquities at info@finds.org.uk, who I'm waiting to hear from.

While at the British Museum a while back, I saw this little guy. The description says that miniature weapons like these were popular votive offerings in Roman-era temples in Britain, particularly spears and axes. The fact axes were suppose to common at these founds struck me as a bit odd, since its ...

A while ago I found a reference to when the Welsh were raiding into England (or what is now England, I can't remember the time period so it could have been Vikings or maybe Normans on the receiving end) that the Englisg were told to just wear leather rather than wearing the full mail armour to deal ...

I noticed that in the Strategikon it mentions that cavalry would carry their lances on the backs when it wasn't in use. How would the spear be held up against the soldier's back so it wouldn't fall off or move around? Did they have some sort of sheath or sling to hold it (like how you might hold a g...

I've also noticed that some of the Hjortspring Bog shields look like they are made the same way, although I haven't been able to find a good enough image to confirm with much certainty.

It looked to me like the oval shields from Duras-Europos were made just from butted planks without a reenforcement to hold the planks together (such as how viking shields are supposed to have three strips of iron across the back). How would the shield be held together without these reenforcements? D...

I know on smooth surfaces they make it a bit more slippery (and according to some, painful-- or at least you get more blisters), but I was under the impression that on soft surfaces (grass, sand, gravel, etc.) they would work like modern sports cleats to help grip the ground.

I've been debating making a good pair of hobnailed boots for a post Roman/early medieval persona, since I heard they would give me a lot better grip than a simple flat sole, but when I started looking around for examples, I couldn't find any! It seems like no one really used hobnails after the Roman...

What would be a good way to make the dagges (or whatever the proper term would be :D )? The basic idea of putting triangles on the bottom is easy enough, but what width/length would they be? And is it just the skirt, or would sleeves and/or the bottom of coifs be dagged as well? On am unrelated note...

I'm interested in pre-Viking and early viking mail. What would this have looked like? Would it be a full hauberk, or more of a byrnie? Basically, what would the sleeve length be like, and how far did the skirt go down?

I've been thinking about making a pre-Viking Irish warrior kit for a warrior, and have had trouble finding more specific information about shields. Does there seem to be any sort of transition from the rectangular shield (such as the Clonoura shield) to the round shields? And what seems to be more c...