Strata: Iron Age Weapons—From Cold Metal to Warm-Blooded Animals

Judging by the numerous Biblical stories, victory stele and battle reliefs, war seems to have been widespread in antiquity. But in our modern world of jets, rockets and tanks, how much do we understand about the workings and weapons of ancient warfare? Thanks to archaeology, the answer is: Quite a lot.

A recent exhibit and accompanying lectures at the Western Science Center in Hemet, California—in partnership with La Sierra University—brought the world of battle to life for visitors at Weapons and War in the Iron Age. The artifacts from La Sierra’s collection, including arrows, spears and swords, date mostly to the Iron Age (c. 1200–600 B.C.) and come from archaeological sites in Jordan, Israel and Palestine. In addition to learning about the sights and sounds of war, preparations for battle, rituals before war and the historical impact of war, visitors were able to touch and hold lifelike replicas of the Iron Age weapons. After trying them out, board director and former California state senator David Kelley was quoted as saying that “I think the people had to be really strong to wield those swords. They’re heavy and they’re awkward, and you kind of wonder how much damage did they do in combat.” He continued, “Your enemy’s going to have to be right on top of you.”