The prehistoric world was very different from our own

The prehistoric world was very different from our own
The world we live in has not always been as it is now. Human beings have changed the world dramatically in the past few thousand years. Forests have been cut down, cities have been built and marshes drained. These changes continue today. Even before humans evolved, the world was changing. New types of animals or plants were constantly appearing, and older types becoming extinct.

from the book "100 Things you should know about prehistoric life"

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Gladiators - some fun facts

 

Gladiators might fight single combats, or over 2,000 might enter the arena together.

The first gladiator fight in Rome was held at the funeral of Decimus Junius Brutus, a rich politician.

The Gauls used swords made of iron so soft they often bent during fights.

In 165bc the audience in the theatre left halfway through a play to watch a gladiator fight instead.


from 100 Things You Should Know About Gladiators by Rupert Matthews
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A Greek Shield

An ancient Greek hoplite who lost his shield was a coward. The shield carried by hoplites was over a metre across and made of wood and bronze. It was very heavy, so anyone trying to run away from an enemy would throw it away. Men who lost their shields in battle were often accused of running away.

The Prussian Needlegun in 1870

The Franco Prussian War

The war that pitted France against Prussia and its German allies was significant for the way it revealed dramatic changes in both small arms and heavy artillery. The lessons of the conflict would be taken up by most modern armies, but fatally misunderstood by nearly all of them.

In July 1870, Prussian chief minister Bismarck took advantage of an unofficial meeting between his own King Wilhelm and the French ambassador to issue to the French press an insulting communiqué. Tensions were already high between Prussia and France, and the resulting furor in the French press and in parliament persuaded Napoleon III to declare war.

The reason why Bismarck and Wilhelm were confident of victory in a war against France was that they had won easy victories over Denmark in 1864 and over Austria in 1866.

The Prussian infantry had in both wars achieved startling successes due to the firepower of their needle gun – officially the Dreyse Zündnadelgewehr. This weapon had been developed in the 1840s, and upgraded regularly since. It was the first rifle in the world to combine a bolt-action breech loading mechanism with a pre-packed cartridge that included bullet, charge and percussion cap in one handy packet. The name came from the needle used to ignite the percussion cap when struck by the hammer.

The needle gun displayed some clear advantages over contemporary muzzle-loading rifles. It could be fired 10 times per minute as opposed to the more usual two or three times. More important on the battlefield was the fact that the needle gun could be reloaded while the soldier was lying down. A Prussian infantryman therefore presented a much smaller target than did his enemy.

from "The World Atlas of Weapons" by Rupert Matthews.

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The Battle of Solferino 1859 - The build up

After long years of peace following the Napoleonic Wars, Europe was convulsed by movements for national unification and freedom that first found expression as revolutionary upheavals, then from 1859 as wars between states fielding armies carrying industrially produced weapons.

In 1859, Emperor Napoleon III of France was looking for a small foreign war in which he could emulate the success of his famous uncle Napoleon I. His agents told him that the Italian states were ripe for another rebellion and that Austria was suffering internal problems. Napoleon III therefore offered to help Piedmont defeat Austria in return for Nice and Savoy. Victor Emmanuel agreed and war was declared on 26 April 1859. The peoples of Tuscany, Parma and Modena at once rose in rebellion, tying down the Austrian garrisons located in those states and safeguarding the southern flank of the French-Piedmontese advance.

Napoleon III then played his trump card. He moved thousands of French soldiers, complete with guns, ammunition and support services across Piedmont by rail. The French therefore arrived much sooner and far fresher than the Austrians had expected. Austrian reinforcements, coming over the Alps by the traditional method of marching, found themselves outmanoevred. The local Austrian forces based in Lombardy and Venetia were defeated at Magenta on 4 June. The battle cost the French under MacMahon 4,000 men, but the Austrians under Gyulai suffered more heavily and were thrown back in a hasty retreat first to Milan, and then east toward Verona.

The retreating Austrians met their advancing reinforcements at Solferino and hurriedly occupied a strong defensive position on the hills above the town. The Emperor Franz Josef himself had arrived to boost the morale of his men, and the experienced commander Scholick was in operational command. The Austrians had 120,000 men and 451 guns, which were positioned with care on the hills and among the woods.

St Mary's, Goudhurst, Kent

This Church of St Mary is a real treasure. The earliest record of a church on this dramatic hilltop site was in 1119, but quite obviously it was not new then and there is some evidence to suggest that the first church here was built some centuries earlier. No doubt this early structure was of wood, and it may have been one of the very first Christian sites in England.

To the practised eye the tower looks slightly squat and out of proportion. This is because when it was built in the 1320s it was at least 20 feet taller and was topped by an elegant spire. Then in 1637, on a hot and sultry summer day a bolt of lightning flashed down from the sky. The spire took the full force of the strike, bursting into flames. When the fire was eventually put out it was found that not only was the spire beyond repair, but that the upper parts of the tower were shattered beyond use. They were taken down and the tower acquired its present height. Despite this blow, the hilltop position ensures that anyone who climbs up the tower - and it is usually open during the day - is rewarded with stunning views across Kent. One enthusiastic local armed with a telescope has claimed to have counted 51 churches in view from the tower. Certainly on a clear day you can see quite clearly both Canary Wharf Tower in central London to the north and the tower of Lympne Church far to the south.

Inside the church is a fine collection of tombs and brasses commemorating members of the two local landowner families: The Bedgeburys and the Culpepers. The 1537 tomb of Sir Alexander Culpeper and his wife boasts two fine and very rare wooden effigies.