An Analytical Viewpoint

Andean sling - Img source Wikimedia commons This is a question that crops up in forums and discussions about ancient combat.  Slingers were described by the ancients in very positive terms.  Suddenly they were no longer present.  There are scanty records of sling combat post-antiquity and many explanations have been postulated for their demise. The first is that slings were replaced by bows.   Bows became predominant simply because they were better, more precise, farther reaching etc. The problem with this theory is that while both slings and bows are biodegradable, the oldest discovered bows (Holmegaarde, 6000 BC) predate the oldest sling discovered (2500 BC, Lovelock cave) by thousands of years.   The theory also discounts all written evidence concerning the sling.   Slings were crude but powerful weapons which could project missiles much further than an archer could shoot an arrow.   Long range throwing also depended on the type of ammun...

Tutankhamun embraces Osiris Ancient Egypt is in dispute. Although we can now more accurately devise the racial profile of ancient Egyptians, it seems as if many believe it is still up for grabs, with multiple supremacist groups claiming to be direct descendants.   The motives behind the claims are obvious.  Egypt has a long, sophisticated history dating back to the late Sumerian period.  The pyramids are numerous and constructed with precision. Great Pyramid of Giza   They made early contributions to mathematics and technology and were one of the first states in history.  All racist beliefs (and many nationalist ones) have a sense of superiority and uniqueness ingrained in their narratives and this is where the trouble lies.  To support many claims, researchers have looked at head shapes of statues and mummies and the skin tones of people on paintings and frescos.  But how valid are any of these methods of determination? The...