% Total
1
177
61.2
57
1
289
% Total
33.9
3.5
12.5
7.6
9.0
13.5
19.7
Table 1: Battle wounds of the Morgan bible by weapon and location.
0.3
23
55
2
28
22
24
34
11
Total
98
10
36
22
26
39
7
4
1
1
1
2
Face
Neck
Shoulder
Crown
Legs
0.7
Sword
Dagger
Axe
Billhook
Glaive
Mace
Jawbone
Lance
Spear
Bow
Crossbo
w
Unknow
n
11
1
1
2
5
5
Torso
2
6
5
1
2
Upper
arm
2
Neck
13.8
3.8
4.5
0.7
0.7
0.7
2.1
7.3
1.4
3.1
Face
21
4
7
40
11
13
2
2
2
6
21
4
9
Crown
Total
Forearm
Peter Davies
Peter.A.Davies@Nottingham.ac.uk
Shoulder
Medieval Wounds in an Ancient World
4/6/2014
Upper -arm
Forearm
Graph 1: Location of battle wounds grouped by body region.
1
Graph 2: Percentages of wounds in different location divided by weapon group.
Observations
1. The dead and dying appear to have suffered multiple perimortem wounds.
2. The majority of wounds are suffered to the head and neck.
a. Some of these are not (immediately) lethal.
3. Arms are the most significant minority and the blows to these have three significant
types:
a. Straight hits to the arm which may severe the limb.
b. Continued or missed downward strikes to the head or neck.
c. Injuries sustained attempting to defend the head or neck.
4. Cutting weapons are mostly striking the head.
5. Thrusting weapons are exclusively striking the torso.
6. The vast majority of strikes made are cutting or hammering attacks; and,
a. Weapons that can be used in both roles are preferentially used to cut.
2
Medieval Wounds in an Ancient World
4/6/2014
Peter Davies
Peter.A.Davies@Nottingham.ac.uk
Fig. 1: Camp Raid. Ms. M. 638. f. 3v. C.13th. New York, Pierpont Morgan Library.
3
Fig. 2: Battle Scene. Ms. M. 638. f. 39r. C.13th. New York, Pierpont Morgan Library.
4
Medieval Wounds in an Ancient World
4/6/2014
Body part
Peter Davies
Peter.A.Davies@Nottingham.ac.uk
Result
Stone
Sword
Weapon
Spear/Javelin Arrow
Total
Fatal
Non-fatal
Unclear
Totals
4
0
0
4
8
0
0
8
17
0
0
17
2
0
0
2
31
0
0
31
Fatal
Non-fatal
Unclear
Totals
1
0
1
2
4
0
0
4
8
1
0
9
0
0
1
1
13
1
2
16
Totals
6
12
26
3
47
Fatal
Non-fatal
Unclear
Totals
1
1
0
2
4
0
0
4
59
5
3
67
3
3
0
6
67
9
3
79
UpperLimbs
Fatal
Non-fatal
Unclear
Totals
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
6
1
7
0
1
0
1
2
7
1
10
LowerLimbs
Fatal
Non-fatal
Unclear
Totals
1
2
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
3
3
6
0
2
0
2
1
7
3
11
Total
12
17
106
Table 2: Wounds in the Iliad, after Frölich 1879 (my additions in grey)
12
147
Head
Neck
Head
&Neck
Torso
Wound Location by
%
Homer
Head & Neck
32
Torso
54
Arms
7
Legs
7
Table 3: Wound locations from various sources and times
5
St Andrew's,
Fishergate
34
49
9
8
Morgan
39
54
7
0
Iliad (%)
Head
Neck
Head & Neck
Torso
Arms
Legs
Stone
33
17
50
17
8
25
Spear/Javelin
16
8
25
63
7
6
Arrow
17
8
25
50
8
17
Total #
31
16
47
79
10
11
Total #
12
17
106
Table 4: Wound location by % in the Iliad (after Frölich 1879)
12
147
Spear
0
0
0
100
0
0
Arrow
18
0
18
82
0
0
Total #
25
5
30
41
5
0
25
11
76
Morgan Bible (%)
Head
Neck
Head & Neck
Torso
Arms
Legs
Sword
47
24
71
24
6
0
Sword
58
13
70
18
13
0
Total #
40
Table 5: Wound location by % in the Morgan Bible
A very select bibliography
Veronica Fiorato, Anthea Boylston, and Christopher Knüsel (eds.), Blood Red Roses (Oxford,
Oxbow books, 2007).
Wolf-Hartmut Friedrich, Wounding and Death in the Iliad: Homeric Techniques of Description
(London, Duckworth, 2003).
Franz Hermann Frölich Die Militärmedicin Homer's (Stuttgart, 1879)
Dave Grossman, On Killing: On the Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society (New
York, Boston, London, Back Bay Books, 1976).
Colum Hourihane (ed.), Between the Picture and the Word, Manuscript Studies from the Index of
Christian Art (Princeton, Penn state University Press, 2005).
Barry P.C. Molloy and Dave Grossman, ‘Why can’t Johnny kill?, the psychology and
physiology of interpersonal combat’ in Barry P.C. Molloy, ed, The Cutting Edge, Studies
in Ancient and Medieval Combat (Stroud, Tempus Press, 2007).
William Noel and Daniel Weiss, (eds.), The Book of Kings, Art, War, and the Morgan Library’s
Medieval Picture Bible (London, Third Millennium Publishing, 2002).
Shannon Novak, ‘Battle-related Trauma’
in Veronica Fiorato, Anthea Boylston, and
Christopher Knüsel, eds, Blood Red Roses (Oxford, Oxbow books, 2007).
Ewart Oakeshott, Records of the Medieval Sword (Woodbridge, The Boydell Press, 1991).
Gillian Stroud and R. L. Kemp, Cemeteries of the Church and Priory of St Andrew, Fishergate (York,
Council for British Archaeology, 1993).
6