These weapons do not have modern technology, they may not be as effective as the current ones, but the ingenuity and invention of people in the past should be given their due. We present a list of the most unusual and awesome weapons that were used in antiquity.

Fireballs of the defenders of Bala Hissar

We often learn about what weapons were used in antiquity from historical records made by contemporaries, but this type of weapon was discovered during excavations near the historical fortress of Bala Hissar, which has been standing in the Pakistani province of Peshawar for more than two and a half thousand years. Archaeologists discovered a charred ball of artificial origin, which included components such as barite and flammable resins from pine trees. The analysis showed that this find belongs to the 4th century BC, when Alexander the Great with his army besieged this fortress.

Ancient fortress of Bala Hissar

Most likely, this weapon was used by the besieged against the army of Alexander and was the first fireballs, which, after being launched from catapults, fell on the Greeks, spilling boiling tar in different directions.

Lime dust of Quintus Sertorius

While fighting in Spain, the rebellious Roman general Quint Sertorius suffered from attacks by barbarian tribes living in what is now Portugal. Having plundered many valuables, the barbarians retreated to the limestone caves, where they felt completely safe, laughing at the Romans from the safe natural fortifications.

Quintus Sertorius, during reconnaissance, noticed that his horse and the horses of his bodyguards raised clouds of lime dust, which was carried directly into the caves by a strong north wind.

The next day, Quintus Sertorius ordered his troops to collect as much loose lime dust as possible and cover the bases of the caves with it. The barbarians thought that in this way the Romans were trying to build something like an embankment to get to them and did not give it special significance. Meanwhile, the Romans retreated and camped near the entrance to the caves, waiting for favorable weather.

Got up after a few days strong wind, which began to inflate heaps of lime dust, dragging them into the interior of the caves. The barbarians choked on the dust for three days, after which they surrendered to the mercy of the winner.

Tear gas from ancient China

The Chinese Emperor Ling Di was a weak ruler who plunged his country into an abyss of corruption and endless riots. But his army was led by truly outstanding generals, thanks to whom the emperor stayed on the throne for 21 years.

During the suppression of another armed uprising, the Chinese army used tear gas based on the same lime dust against the rebels. But, unlike the Romans and Quintus Sertorius, the Chinese military was able to make these weapons portable.

The mechanism for spraying lime dust was a chariot pulled by several horses. Furs were installed on the site, from where the air was blown directly onto a vat of lime dust. Having waited for a favorable wind, hundreds of such chariots rode out to meet the army of the rebels, which immediately rushed to attack the seemingly defenseless enemy. Then the soldiers on the chariots began to inflate the furs, and soon the rebel army was covered with a dense cloud of dust, in which visibility was 2-3 meters. At this time, the soldiers of the emperor tied bags with incendiary mixtures to the tails of the horses, set them on fire and sent them directly to the disoriented enemy troops, which caused real chaos in their ranks. Finally, the Chinese generals ordered the advance of the archers, who simply bombarded the defenseless, panicking enemies with a hail of arrows.

burning pigs

People began using animals as a means to fight the enemy thousands of years ago, but some examples of this were truly unusual, such as setting fire to pigs to scare away war elephants. With the help of pigs, ancient inhabitants managed to lift sieges from entire cities. Read more in the article "Burning pigs - a formidable weapon of antiquity."

Bombs with snakes

The snake bomb is another way animals are used in human wars against each other. The method consisted in the fact that various poisonous creatures were thrust into ceramic vessels and shot at the enemy with the help of catapults. The effect was especially strong if the enemy was in confined spaces - in small besieged cities or on ships. Success in the use of snake bombs was achieved by the Carthaginian commander Hannibal Barca, when he was able to defeat the fleet of the Pergamon king Eumenes, twice as large, by throwing poisonous snakes on the decks of his ships.

Use of sour gas

In antiquity, people already knew that if sulfur crystals were set on fire, the gases released would be deadly to humans. And this knowledge was successfully applied in practice. Ancient siege equipment was often unable to break through the powerful fortifications of cities, so the besieging army had to resort to the good old method - digging. But the defenders of the cities did not doze off either: as soon as the "rumors" noticed that the enemy began to dig a tunnel under the walls of the city, they began to dig a tunnel towards them. When two tunnels met, the most interesting began, and various tricks and means of mass destruction available to ancient people in a cramped room were used.

For example, sulfur dioxide, which in narrow tunnels could poison dozens of people. This is exactly what the Sasanian warriors did during the siege of the Roman settlement of Dura-Europos in the territory of modern Syria in 256 AD. The Persian army began to dig a tunnel in the hope of bringing down part of the Roman wall and tower, but the Romans began to dig a tunnel towards them. The insidious Sassanids decided to set a trap for the enemy: as soon as the two tunnels connected, they kindled sulfur crystals, the smoke from which began to be drawn into the Roman section, which was facilitated by the special structure of the tunnel. Excavations at the site of Dura-Europos, carried out in 1930, discovered the same dig where 20 dead Roman soldiers and only one Persian soldier lay near a large charred vat: a more than successful result of an ancient chemical attack.

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In the centuries-old struggle evolved military organization Slavs, their military art arose and developed, which influenced the condition of the troops of neighboring peoples and states. Emperor Mauritius, for example, recommended that the Byzantine army widely use the methods of warfare used by the Slavs ...

Russian warriors wielded these weapons well and, under the command of brave military leaders, more than once won victories over the enemy.

For 800 years, the Slavic tribes, in the struggle with the numerous peoples of Europe and Asia and with the powerful Roman Empire - Western and Eastern, and then with the Khazar Khaganate and the Franks, defended their independence and united.

A flail is a short strapped whip with an iron ball suspended at the end. Sometimes spikes were attached to the ball. Terrible blows were delivered with a flail. With minimal effort, the effect was stunning. By the way, the word "stun" used to mean "strongly hit the enemy's skull"

The head of the shestoper consisted of metal plates - "feathers" (hence its name). Shestoper, widespread mainly in the XV-XVII centuries, could serve as a sign of the power of military leaders, while remaining at the same time a serious weapon.

Both the mace and the mace derive their origin from the club - a massive club with a thickened end, usually bound with iron or studded with large iron nails - which also for a long time was in service with Russian soldiers.

A very common chopping weapon in the ancient Russian army was an ax, which was used by princes, princely combatants, and militias, both on foot and on horseback. However, there was also a difference: the footmen more often used large axes, while the horsemen used axes, that is, short axes.

Both of them had an ax put on a wooden ax handle with a metal tip. The back flat part of the ax was called the butt, and the hatchet was called the butt. The blades of the axes were trapezoidal in shape.

A large wide ax was called a berdysh. Its blade - a piece of iron - was long and mounted on a long ax handle, which at the lower end had an iron fitting, or ink. Berdysh were used only by foot soldiers. In the 16th century, berdyshs were widely used in the archery army.

Later, halberds appeared in the Russian army - modified axes various shapes ending in a spear. The blade was mounted on a long shaft (axe) and often decorated with gilding or embossing.

A kind of metal hammer, pointed from the side of the butt, was called chasing or klevets. The coinage was mounted on an ax handle with a tip. There were mintings with a screwed-out, hidden dagger. The coin served not only as a weapon, it was a distinctive accessory of military leaders.

Stabbing weapons - spears and horns - in the armament of the ancient Russian troops were no less important than the sword. Spears and horns often decided the success of the battle, as was the case in the battle of 1378 on the Vozha River in Ryazan land, where the Moscow cavalry regiments overturned the Mongol army with a simultaneous blow "on spears" from three sides and defeated it.

The tips of the spears were perfectly adapted to pierce armor. To do this, they were made narrow, massive and elongated, usually tetrahedral.

Tips, diamond-shaped, bay or wide wedge-shaped, could be used against the enemy, in places not protected by armor. A two-meter spear with such a tip inflicted dangerous lacerations and caused the rapid death of the enemy or his horse.

The spear consisted of a shaft and a blade with a special sleeve that was mounted on the shaft. In Ancient Rus', the poles were called oskepische (hunting) or ratovishche (combat). They were made of oak, birch or maple, sometimes using metal.

The blade (the tip of the spear) was called the pen, and its sleeve was called the ink. It was more often all-steel, however, welding technologies from iron and steel strips, as well as all-iron, were also used.

Rogatins had a tip in the form of a bay leaf 5-6.5 centimeters wide and up to 60 centimeters long. To make it easier for the warrior to hold the weapon, two or three metal knots were attached to the shaft of the horn.

A kind of horn was an owl (owl), which had a curved strip with one blade, slightly curved at the end, which was mounted on a long shaft.
In the Novgorod First Chronicle, it is recorded how a defeated army "... ran into the forest, throwing weapons, and shields, and owls, and everything on its own."

Sulitz was a throwing spear with a light and thin shaft up to 1.5 meters long. The tips of the sulits are petiolate and socketed.

Ancient Russian warriors defended themselves against cold and throwing weapons with the help of shields. Even the words "shield" and "protection" have the same root. Shields have been used since ancient times until the spread of firearms.

At first, it was shields that served as the only means of protection in battle, chain mail and helmets appeared later. The earliest written evidence of Slavic shields was found in Byzantine manuscripts of the 6th century.

According to the definition of the degenerate Romans: "Each man is armed with two small spears, and some of them with shields, strong but difficult to bear."

An original feature of the construction of heavy shields of this period was sometimes embrasures made in their upper part - windows for viewing. In the early Middle Ages, the militias often did not have helmets, so they preferred to hide behind a “head-on” shield.

According to legend, the berserkers gnawed at their shields in a battle frenzy. Reports of such a custom are most likely fiction. But it is not difficult to guess what exactly formed its basis.
In the Middle Ages, strong warriors preferred not to encase their shield with iron from above. The ax would still not break from hitting a steel strip, but it could get stuck in a tree. It is clear that the ax catcher shield had to be very durable and heavy. And its upper edge looked "gnawed".

Another original side of the relationship between berserkers and their shields was that “warriors in bear skins' was often not available. The berserker could fight with only one shield, striking with its edges or simply knocking enemies to the ground. This style of fighting was already known in Rome.

The earliest finds of shield elements date back to the 10th century. Of course, only metal parts survived - umbons (an iron hemisphere in the center of the shield, which served to repel a blow) and fetters (fasteners along the edge of the shield) - but they managed to restore the appearance of the shield as a whole.

According to the reconstructions of archaeologists, the shields of the 8th - 10th centuries had a round shape. Later, almond-shaped shields appeared, and from the 13th century triangular shields were also known.

The Old Russian round shield is of Scandinavian origin. This makes it possible to use materials from Scandinavian burial grounds, for example, the Swedish burial ground Birka, for the reconstruction of the Old Russian shield. Only there the remains of 68 shields were found. They had a round shape and a diameter of up to 95 cm. In three samples, it was possible to determine the type of wood of the shield field - these are maple, fir and yew.

They also established the breed for some wooden handles - these are juniper, alder, poplar. In some cases, metal handles made of iron with bronze linings were found. A similar overlay was found in our territory - in Staraya Ladoga It is now in a private collection. Also, among the remains of both ancient Russian and Scandinavian shields, rings and staples for belt fastening the shield on the shoulder were found.

Helmets (or helmets) are a type of combat headgear. In Rus', the first helmets appeared in the 9th - 10th centuries. At this time, they gained their distribution in Asia Minor and in Kievan Rus, however, were rare in Western Europe.

The helmets that appeared later in Western Europe were lower and tailored around the head, in contrast to the conical helmets of ancient Russian warriors. By the way, the conical shape gave great advantages, since the high conical tip did not allow a direct blow, which is important in areas of horse-saber combat.

Helmet "Norman type"

Helmets found in burials of the 9th-10th centuries. have several types. So one of the helmets from the Gnezdovsky barrows (Smolensk region) was hemispherical in shape, tightened on the sides and along the crest (from the forehead to the back of the head) with iron strips. Another helmet from the same burials had a typical Asian shape - from four riveted triangular parts. The seams were covered with iron strips. There was a pommel and a lower rim.

The conical shape of the helmet came to us from Asia and is called the "Norman type". But soon it was supplanted by the "Chernigov type". It is more spherical - has a spheroconic shape. Above there are finials with bushings for plumes. In the middle they are reinforced with spiked overlays.

Helmet "Chernigov type"

According to ancient Russian concepts, the actual combat attire, without a helmet, was called armor; later, this word began to be called all the protective equipment of a warrior. Kolchuga for a long time belonged to the undisputed superiority. It was used throughout the X-XVII centuries.

In addition to chain mail in Rus', it was adopted, but until the 13th century, protective clothing made of plates did not prevail. Plate armor existed in Rus' from the 9th to the 15th century, scaly armor from the 11th to the 17th century. The latter type of armor was particularly elastic. In the XIII century, a number of such details that enhance the protection of the body, such as greaves, knee pads, chest plaques (Mirror), and handcuffs, are distributed.

To strengthen chain mail or armor in the 16th-17th centuries, additional armor was used in Russia, which was worn over the armor. These armors were called mirrors. They consisted in most cases of four large plates - front, back and two side.

Plates, the weight of which rarely exceeded 2 kilograms, were interconnected and fastened on the shoulders and sides with belts with buckles (shoulder pads and armlets).

The mirror, polished and polished to a mirror shine (hence the name of the armor), often covered with gilding, decorated with engraving and chasing, in the 17th century most often had a purely decorative character.

In the 16th century in Rus', ringed armor and chest armor made of rings and plates connected together, arranged like fish scales, became widespread. Such armor was called bakhterets.

The bakhterets was assembled from oblong plates located in vertical rows, connected by rings on the short sides. Side and shoulder cuts were connected with belts and buckles. A chain mail hem was added to the bakhterets, and sometimes a collar and sleeves.

The average weight of such armor reached 10-12 kilograms. At the same time, the shield, having lost its combat value, became a ceremonial and ceremonial item. This also applied to the tarch - a shield, the pommel of which was a metal hand with a blade. Such a shield was used in the defense of fortresses, but was extremely rare.

Bakhterets and shield-tarch with a metal "hand"

In the 9th-10th centuries, helmets were made from several metal plates, connected by rivets. After assembly, the helmet was decorated with silver, gold and iron plates with ornaments, inscriptions or images.

In those days, a smoothly curved, elongated helmet with a rod at the top was common. Helmets of this shape Western Europe I didn’t know at all, but they were widespread both in Western Asia and in Rus'.

In the 11th-13th centuries, domed and sphero-conical helmets were common in Rus'. At the top, the helmets often ended in a sleeve, which was sometimes equipped with a flag - a yalovets. IN early time helmets were made from several (two or four) parts riveted together. There were helmets and from one piece of metal.

The need to strengthen the protective properties of the helmet led to the emergence of steep-sided domed helmets with a nose or mask-mask (visor). The warrior's neck was covered with an aventail mesh made of the same rings as chain mail. It was attached to the helmet from behind and from the sides. The helmets of noble warriors were trimmed with silver, and sometimes they were completely gilded.

The earliest appearance in Rus' of headbands with a circular chain mail aventail attached to the crown of the helmet, and in front of a steel half mask laced to the lower edge, can be assumed no later than the 10th century.

At the end of the 12th - beginning of the 13th century, in connection with the general European trend towards heavier defensive armor, helmets appeared in Rus', equipped with a mask-mask that protected the warrior's face from both chopping and stabbing blows. Masks-masks were equipped with slits for the eyes and nasal openings and covered the face either half (half-mask) or entirely.

A helmet with a face was put on a balaclava and worn with an aventail. Masks-masks, in addition to their direct purpose - to protect the face of a warrior, were also supposed to frighten the enemy with their appearance. Instead of a straight sword, a saber appeared - a curved sword. The saber is very convenient for the conning tower. In skillful hands, a saber is a terrible weapon.

Around 1380, firearms appeared in Rus'. However, the traditional edged melee and ranged weapons retained their importance. Pikes, horns, maces, flails, six-toppers, helmets, shells, round shields were in service for 200 years with virtually no significant changes, and even with the advent of firearms.

Since the XII century, a gradual weighting of the weapons of both the horseman and the infantryman begins. A massive long saber, a heavy sword with a long crosshair and sometimes a one-and-a-half handle appear. The strengthening of protective weapons is evidenced by the widespread use of ramming with a spear in the 12th century.

The weighting of the equipment was not significant, because it would make the Russian warrior clumsy and turn him into a sure target for the steppe nomad.

The number of troops of the Old Russian state reached a significant figure. According to the chronicler Leo Deacon, an army of 88 thousand people participated in Oleg's campaign against Byzantium, and Svyatoslav had 60 thousand people in the campaign against Bulgaria. Sources call the voivod and the thousandth as the commanding staff of the army of Russ. The army had a certain organization associated with the arrangement of Russian cities.

The city put up a "thousand", divided into hundreds and tens (along the "ends" and streets). The "thousand" was commanded by the thousandth elected by the veche, later the prince appointed the thousandth. "Hundreds" and "tens" were commanded by elected sots and tenths. The cities fielded infantry, which at that time was the main branch of the army and was divided into archers and spearmen. The core of the army was the princely squads.

In the 10th century, the term "regiment" was first used as the name of a separately operating army. In the "Tale of Bygone Years" for 1093, regiments are military detachments brought to the battlefield by individual princes.

The numerical strength of the regiment was not determined, or, in other words, the regiment was not a specific unit of organizational division, although in battle, when placing troops in battle order, the division of troops into regiments mattered.

Gradually developed a system of penalties and rewards. According to later data, gold hryvnias (neck bands) were issued for military distinctions and merit.

Golden hryvnia and golden plates-upholstery of a wooden bowl with the image of a fish

Wars have been fought since time immemorial. In the same time immemorial, the first weapon was invented. See our most interesting views here.

A Chinese weapon, it can be called the progenitor of an automatic rifle. The wooden section on the crossbow had 10 arrows, which were reloaded when the triangular lever was pulled back after a shot. Chu ko nu was last seen in the Sino-Japanese wars of 1894-1895, after the advent of firearms. On average, the crossbow fired 10 arrows in 15 seconds. Compared to the reload speed of conventional bows and crossbows, this was a great achievement. For greater damage, the point of the arrows was smeared with poison from the aconite flower.

Used by the Maori tribes in New Zealand. This simple-looking thing was made of jade. For the Maori, she was a sacred weapon. They gave names to their clubs and passed them down from generation to generation. Maori even believed that they contained their own mana (spiritual power). Their club was a symbol of leadership.

Curved swords

Such curved swords were worn in China by Shaolin monks. These beautiful blades were forged in the form of a hook so that their owner could join them and wear them as one solid blade. The guard, made in the shape of a crescent, perfectly blocked blows and literally cut through enemies. Ephesus was pointed to attack the enemy on close range. The length of such a sword was 121-188 cm. Such swords were used mainly by civilians, and not by the army.

Kpinga is a throwing knife used by experienced warriors of the Azanda tribe. They lived in Nubia, a region of Africa that includes northern Sudan and southern Egypt. This knife was up to 55.88 cm long and had 3 blades with a base in the center. The blade closest to the hilt was shaped like a male genitalia and represented the male power of its owner. The very design of the kpinga blades increased the chances of hitting the enemy as hard as possible on contact. When the owner of the knife got married, he presented the kping as a gift to the family of his future wife.

This strange looking weapon was used in gladiator fights in the Roman Empire. The metal cavity at the base of the scissor covered the gladiator's hand, which made it possible to easily block blows, as well as inflict their own. The skissor was made of solid steel and was 45 cm long. It was surprisingly light, which made it possible to strike quickly.

You definitely can't play Frisbee with this. It was usually thrown vertically rather than horizontally. This deadly metal circle was up to 30 cm in diameter. Its very sharp edges could easily cut off an arm or leg. This weapon originated in India, where it was used by influential Sikhs. One way of throwing chakram was to spin the ring on the index finger, and then with a sharp movement of the wrist, throw the weapon at the enemy.

This Indian weapon gave its owner the claws of a wolverine, the blade lacking only the strength and cutting ability of adamant. At first glance, the katar is one blade, but when the lever on the handle is pressed, this blade splits into three - one in the middle and two on the sides. Three blades not only give the weapon effectiveness, but also intimidate the enemy. The shape of the handle makes it easy to block blows. But it is also important that the triple blade can cut through any Asian armor.

Another Chinese weapon. The iron "hand" of the zhua had claws at the ends, which easily tore off pieces of flesh from the body. The sheer weight of a zhua was enough to kill an enemy, but with claws, things looked even more creepy. If the zhua was used by an experienced warrior, he could pull the soldiers off their horses. But the main goal of the zhua was to snatch the shields from the hands of opponents, leaving them defenseless against deadly claws.

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"Clip Consciousness". It's a disease" modern man. It arises as a result of fragmentation of the “disk” (brain) with information garbage. A person can no longer generalize data and build a single sequence from them. Most people don't remember long texts. They don't see the connection between time-separated historical events because they understand them figuratively and in fragments.

Having learned to think in clips, a person began to put together a mosaic overall picture from small pieces. Now he does not have time to move away from the created picture, and look at it from afar to see the whole picture.

To prevent the computer from getting into such a state, it is defragmented, that is, files (data) are redistributed on the disk (history) so that there is a continuous sequence.

Visual information provides much more information than 1000 words. And sometimes such information is even more accurate. You can't "buy" an eye for poetic metaphors and near-scientific terms.

Somehow I came across a picture of a bas-relief of Mitra from Modena.

In Mitra's right hand is some object. I did not see this bas-relief, but I saw a similar object in the hand of the statue of Zeus. The guide said it was "lightning". Like Zeus the Thunderer! To the question: “why is lightning such a strange shape?” the guide hovered, and then said that it was not possible to convey the type of thunder and flash of light, because the marble is fragile ...

Maybe. I do not argue. So, Zeus, after a couple of thousand years, passed this object - "lightning" into the hands of Mithra. At the same time, this device has not changed in any way externally. And if this "lightning" would be drawn the same way only among the Romans and Greeks, then this could be at least somehow explained. But how to explain that exactly the same object is held in the hands of the gods of the Assyrians, Babylonians, Sumerians, Egyptians, Hindus and Chinese. And with a time difference of thousands of years and kilometers. Should this device at least somehow differ in the hands of completely different gods and at completely different times?

Here is the item:

Why do lightning occur? There are many versions. And if we assume that everything is clear with ordinary lightning and “linear lightning is just a long spark” (Lomonosov), then few people understand what ball lightning is. Scientists even subdivide them into species and subspecies, like animals.

To be honest, not everything is clear with ordinary (linear) lightning. I read here about the physical properties of lightning and realized that this phenomenon is still only at the stage of study, and even worse, scientists are already beginning to understand the futility of efforts.

And there are also "bead" lightning. They seem to be made of beads with constrictions - a rosary, hence the name.

What “squeezes” lightning is not known to science. This could not be repeated in laboratory conditions. In principle, it has not yet been possible to reproduce ordinary lightning in laboratories.

Sometimes the behavior of lightning is generally difficult to explain. There are many examples. You can google. Take Roy Sullivan for example. He was struck by lightning seven times. He had already begun to protect himself: he walked in rubber boots and did not take metal objects. But in the end he hesitated and during the next thunderstorm committed suicide. And what? Lightning struck his grave. I'm not kidding. This is a real story))

It is possible that similar cases in ancient times provoked people to invent all sorts of stories about their origin. But, given that such cases are very rare, then this option is no longer possible. This myth is too widespread. There are other hypotheses that lightning is nervous system planets, and fireballs it's the immune system. But no one has been able to prove it yet.

Therefore, the Thunderer Zeus is quite understandable and there is no need to condemn people for inventing him. instead, you need to look at it all from afar.

What could be easier than drawing zigzags, thus expressing lightning? In principle, they did this when they wanted to show a thunderstorm. But if they drew gods, and not only thunderers, then in their hands was no longer a zigzag, but some strange object.

This item consists of three to nine rods. One central one is straight, the rest are bent at the ends, and are arranged straight around. One or two spherical centers are also depicted on the "handle".

This item can be seen everywhere: in sculptures, frescoes, on clay, on stone, on coins. In completely different places on the planet. As if everyone conspired to portray him that way. Or… they had a pattern. Indeed, in order to depict something with such repeatable accuracy, this “something” must be seen.

These images come across even on petroglyphs:

The ancients clearly saw this item-weapon. This is not a figment of the imagination of artists who did not know how to draw lightning. It's something they saw. The fact that this is a weapon is clear from the description of the application. The gods could strike enemies with both linear lightning and throwing "fireballs". It could also be an instrument. For example, cutting, like a drill or a lagoon.

As a result, any device of any good weapon usually kept secret. And lightning is no exception. The gods did not reveal their secrets to the slaves.

In Buddhism and Hinduism, this item is called Vajra, or Rdorje (Skt. vajra, Tibet. rdo rje). Translated, these words mean "lightning" or "diamond"

Information from modern dictionaries and encyclopedias:

Vajra - a short metal rod that has a symbolic analogy with a diamond - can cut anything, but not itself - and with lightning - an irresistible force.
- In Hindu mythology - a jagged disk, Indra's thunder club
- Vajra is the magic wand of Initiated adepts
- It was forged for Indra by the singer Ushana.
- Vajra was forged for Indra by Tvashtar
- It is made from the skeleton of the sage - the hermit Dadhichi.
- There is a version that originally the vajra symbolized the phallus of a bull.
- Vajra was associated with the sun.
- Quaternary or crossed vajra has a symbolism close to that of a wheel.
- Vajra represents the five bodies of the Dhyani Buddhas.
- Vajra means skill, or Upaya.
- Vajra symbolizes the strength and firmness of the spirit.
- Vajra symbolizes the masculine principle, the path, compassion.
- Vajra is interpreted as a sign of fertility.
- Vajra embodies the absolute and indestructible being as opposed to the illusory idea of ​​reality.
- Vajra in combination with a bell implies the merging of male and female nature.
- Vajra symbolizes the indestructible state.
- Vajra is a symbol of the luminous indestructible nature of the mind.
- Vajra is a symbol of Buddha's power over evil spirits or elementals.

That is, the vajra is a simple and necessary item in the household.

I want to remember again about those who like to compare everything with the phallus. One of the items at the top, if you've read carefully. It seems that some art critic climbed high into the Tibetan mountains with his translator, where he found an enlightened lama, whom he began to torture, saying, “Well, tell me, what kind of garbage is this vajra?”, And the lama, who swore an oath not to talk about the secret, just showed them the well-known American "fuck". The translator translated as best he could, and the art critic wrote: “Vajra symbolizes the phallus. And bullish." Although there may be more true story occurrence of such a statement.

Be that as it may, it is hard to imagine how Indra kills the giant snake Vritra with an ordinary, albeit bullish, member. As I said in another topic, art historians generally have a strange fantasy about this. They have a little something, so the symbol of the phallus. And for greater truthfulness, they add the word-connection - “represents” Perhaps Muldashev actually found a real vajra in India, but what you see in the pictures above are just models. As they say, the fuse is removed, the shutter twitches, but ... does not shoot. Although it can hurt to hit.

Let me remind you of one incident that happened to the natives of an island that the Americans left after World War II. The natives began to build airplanes out of straw. The planes were very similar, but they did not fly. But this did not stop the natives from praying for these planes and hoping that the "gods" would return and bring even more chocolate and fire water. In the world, such cases are called - "cargocult"

With "vajras" a similar story. Having read the manuscripts and seen enough of the ancient sculptures, the Indians in all seriousness tried to use them as weapons in battle. Type of brass knuckles. They even called some of their brass knuckles vajra mushti. But, most likely realizing that the vajra will not achieve much superiority over the enemy, they modified it. Apparently this is how the “six-fingers” appeared

But the shestoper is also not very perfect. A regular iron mace is much more effective. Therefore, the shestoper can hardly be called a weapon. Rather, it is a symbol of weapons. A weapon with meaning. For example, the vajra model is a symbol of an ancient weapon that emits lightning. And the shestoper is the rod of military leaders.

But this ancient thing is supposed to work not only as a meditation bell, and therefore they made a knife out of it. And a knife is a knife. After all, they can not only kill.

By the way, this is the original. In the movie The Shadow with Alec Baldwin, you can see a flying version of this knife.

In simple terms, if something barks and bites like a dog, and it looks like a dog, then it is a dog. But if it does not bark, does not bite, but is called a dog, then this is a model of a dog, a stuffed animal, or a sculpture, but not a dog.

Can a dog model be the dog itself? That is, will it perform the same functions? Why do you need a dog? To protect. And why did they create those “molded gods” about which the Scriptures quite clearly speak?

Somewhere I read that the form itself still has an impact on the content. The article wrote about the "cardiole", a body of revolution, which in 3-d form has a section of the "heart". And the type of liquid that you pour into it acquires special properties. By the way, the same applies to the pyramids. You can find a lot of information that if you put something in the center of the pyramids, then a miracle happens. One type even patented a permanent razor blade that would not blunt when placed in a pyramid. I did not check it, but everyone can be convinced that the domes of churches are similar to a cardiole and are made according to the principle of a vajra-lightning.

Or here's another. Everyone knows the thing. Crown. Symbol of power. The oldest image of the crown is Sumerian.

Take a closer look. This is the same "vajra". The main thing, it doesn’t matter if it’s the Italian crown, the Spanish, Austrian or Jewish “Torah crown”, which is in the last picture. Basically the same design.

He is the One Who shows you the lightning (Quran 13:12)

So what was in the hands of the gods?

The northern gods had their own "lightning" of a very original form. "Hammer of Thor"

It looks like this:

Looks like a stun gun.

This is the oldest symbol of Lightning and Heavenly Fire. It is known throughout northern Europe. This is God's Thunder Weapon. Hammer.

The German Donar-Thor called the hammer "Mjolnir". the origin of the word is considered unknown. Etymologists distinguish the Icelandic word milva (to crush), the Lithuanian malti (to grind), and the Welsh mellt (lightning). The Russian "lightning" is also mentioned, but is not considered the main one. Most likely because Perun (the Russian version of the god of thunder) was written off by the Russians from the Lithuanian Perkunus. Therefore, "Mjolnir" most likely comes from the Lithuanian "malti" than from "lightning". Logically...

Thor is the son of the supreme god Asov Odin. Lord of Thunder and Lightning. He is subject to rain and wind. His mission is to fight the giants Turses. Giants are the most old race, which comes directly from Chaos. Giants about opponents of gods and people. And in this war, Thor's hammer - Mjolnir - is the most powerful and important weapon.

This lightning was made by a certain Brokk from a race of dwarfs who were once created from the blood of Ymir. Brokk also built other high-tech "innovations". For example, Odin's spear is Gungnir or Draupnir's ring.

IN " technical specifications"This Mjolnir-class device is designed to return the lightning bolt back to its owner. That is, like a boomerang, God threw lightning at the target, and it reached the target and returned to the owner. If we remember that lightning starts moving in the form of ionized particles of the "leader" and returns as a spark discharge (source), then there is nothing contradicting physics in this story. Everything is fine. The ancients did not fantasize. They knew 100% about the properties of lightning firsthand.

The myths say that when the god Thor dies in battle with the Midgard Serpent in the "End Times", the joy of evil forces will not last forever. The Lost Hammer will be found by Thor's children. This will be the beginning of the "New Times" and the gods of Light will rule again.
Below, in the pictures, coins from different countries of the Mediterranean region. Dated from 500 to 200 BC. e. On all coins, the lightning-vajra is clearly visible. There are many, many of these coins. And that means in ancient world everyone knew perfectly well what it was and understood the significance of this subject.

Notice the "zipper" on the last coin. Doesn't it remind you of anything? This is the "lily" - the heraldic symbol of the power of European kings. Why is she everywhere.

Let's look at two of them:

In the left picture, the "lily" is slightly older than in the right. Does it look like a lily? Most likely it is some kind of device. For example, this sign never seemed to me a flower. And not me alone. The lily is so unlike a lily that some even considered it a special Masonic sign, which is more correct to consider turned upside down. And like then we'll see a bee. William Vasilyevich Pokhlebkin wrote that the lilies of European courtyards have oriental origin, “as a permanent, indispensable element of ornament, often reproduced on fabrics on roads. It was these fabrics, and then expensive clothes that came through Byzantium from the East to Europe, that were already introduced in early middle ages European feudal lords, the main consumers of luxurious fabrics, with a lily.

The right image is stylized. Since 1179, under Louis, it was included in the coat of arms of the French kings, and this version of the lily became the main emblem of the French monarchy. The official name for this lily on the French coat of arms of the Bourbons is… fleur de lis.

Well, what kind of ornament was on the fabrics that were imported to Europe? And here, something like this:

The most common medieval ornament of oriental fabrics was the "vajra", which Europeans mistakenly took for a lily. That is, the Europeans forgot about their "lightning" and adopted the eastern vajra as a symbol of power. Moreover, they considered the weapon of the gods to be a lily flower. But do historians tell the truth that the Europeans were wrong. Why would Louis, who personally led troops on a crusade and was not at all sentimental, paint flowers on his shield?

Quote: Within the framework of Buddhism, the word "vajra" began to be associated, on the one hand, with the originally perfect nature of the awakened consciousness, like an indestructible diamond, and on the other hand, awakening itself, enlightenment, like an instant thunderclap or a flash of lightning. The ritual Buddhist vajra, like the ancient vajra, is a type of scepter, symbolizing awakened consciousness, as well as compassion and skillful means. Prajna and emptiness are symbolized by a ritual bell. The combination of the vajra and the bell in the ritually crossed hands of the priest symbolizes awakening as a result of the integration of wisdom and method, emptiness and compassion. Therefore, the word Vajrayana can be translated as "Diamond Chariot". (club.kailash.ru/buddhism/)

Whatever we are rubbed, the original meaning of the word vajra is a weapon. Why some people constantly start the topic in the wrong direction is not entirely clear.

Crowns existed in parallel. These, for example, are of Sumerian origin. The Jews took this type of crown from the Sumerians, and the Christians adopted it from the Jews. It `s naturally.

But the barbarians had other crowns. Like these ones:

Take a closer look. If the "imperial" crowns are exactly like a vajra, then the "royal" ones are very similar to Thor's hammer. Compare yourself.

Cambodia

First weapon


Danger lay in wait for primitive people at every turn. They fought for their existence literally with their bare hands. On the hunt, fierce conflicts constantly arose over prey. Finally, a person realized that an ordinary stone in his hand helps to get not only food, but also defend himself .This was the discovery of ancient people and their first weapon. Distant ancestors used everything that came to hand: animal bones, stone fragments as cutters. The first primitive weapons were made from stone, wood and bone. The oldest of the tools, a rough hand stone ax (Fig. 1), was an ordinary cobblestone. By combining a stone and a stick, they got a spear (Fig. 9) for hunting large animals. A harpoon for catching fish was made from a stick and a sharp bone tip.


The oldest weapon in the world!


Man improved tools and thereby improved himself, becoming smarter and stronger. Many tools soon became weapons in the struggle for survival and superiority. Gradually, it became more and more diverse. This is how the history of weapons began.


Steel arms

Despite the small amount of material evidence that has survived to this day, it can be stated with complete certainty that clubs and clubs were widespread in the Paleolithic era. In the Neolithic, clubs had a pear-shaped head, and fragments of stone were sometimes planted into it. At the beginning of the Paleolithic, a spear from a stick with a pointed end appeared, by the middle of the same era, flint tips appeared, and towards the end - bone ones. In the same Paleolithic, daggers made of stone and bone appear, in Northern Europe flint daggers are distinguished by the perfection of processing.

A huge breakthrough in the history of edged weapons was the discovery of copper. Its processing and the manufacture of bronze served as the beginning new era in the history of edged weapons. The hardness, viscosity and weight of the metal made it possible to combine the sharpness and convenience of stone knives and daggers with the size of clubs, such a union was the key to the emergence of the sword.

Most ancient sword in the world today was found by the Russian archaeologist A.D. Rezepkin in a stone tomb on the territory of Russia (Klady, Novosvobodnaya, Adygea) and is exhibited in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. This bronze sword belongs to the so-called Novosvobodnenskaya archaeological culture and dates back to the second third of the 4th millennium BC. Then swords are found no later than 1000 BC. e. (bronze swords found on the territory of Scandinavia date back approximately to the 1st millennium BC), they were not widely used. The fact is that the main material for the manufacture of blades was bronze, and it has a decent mass and high price. The sword turned out to be either too heavy or too short with poor cutting properties. That's why blade weapon ancient civilizations was originally curved with one-sided sharpening. These include the ancient Egyptian khopesh, the ancient Greek mahaira, and the copis borrowed by the Greeks from the Persians.
Chopping swords began to be used by the Celts and Sarmatians. The Sarmatians used swords in equestrian combat, their length reached 110 cm. The cross of the Sarmatian sword is quite narrow (2-3 cm wider than the blade), the hilt is long (from 15 cm), the pommel is in the form of a ring. The spata of the Celts was used by both foot soldiers and riders. The total length of the spat reached 90 cm, the cross was absent, the pommel was massive, spherical. Initially, the spata did not have a point.
In Europe, the sword was widely used in the Middle Ages, had many modifications and was actively used until the New Age. The sword changed at all stages of the Middle Ages:

Early Middle Ages. The Germans used single-edged blades with good cutting properties. A striking example is scramasax. Fights are fought in open space. Defensive tactics are rarely used. As a result, a cutting sword with a flat or rounded point, a narrow but thick cross, a short hilt and a massive pommel dominates in Europe. There is practically no narrowing of the blade from the handle to the tip. The valley is quite wide and shallow. The mass of the sword does not exceed 2 kg. The Scandinavian version of the ancient German sword is wider and shorter, since the ancient Scandinavians practically did not use cavalry due to geographical location. Ancient Slavic swords in design practically did not differ from the ancient German ones.
High Middle Ages. Cities and crafts are growing. The level of blacksmithing and metallurgy is growing. happening Crusades and internecine strife. Leather armor is being replaced by metal armor. Fights often take place in close quarters (castles, houses, narrow streets). All this leaves an imprint on the sword. The slashing sword dominates. The blade becomes longer, thicker and narrower. The valley is narrow and deep. The blade tapers to a point. The handle lengthens and the pommel becomes small. The cross becomes wide. The mass of the sword does not exceed 2 kg. This is the so-called Romanesque sword.

Late Middle Ages. It is expanding to other countries. The tactics of warfare are becoming more and more diverse. Armor with a high degree of protection is used. All this greatly affects the evolution of the sword. The variety of swords is colossal. In addition to one-handed swords (handbrake), there are one-and-a-half-handed (one-and-a-half) and two-handed swords(two-handed). Appear thrusting swords and swords with wavy blades. A complex guard, which provides maximum protection for the hand, and a "basket" type guard begin to be actively used.