Battle of Baecula remains found

[Ebusitanus]

Yes, interesting news indeed.

[Thersites]

Yes, there are new findings. Wait for a while...

[Thersites]

Well, as I promised, here are some news.
We are now certain we have found a Second Punic War battlefield on a grand scale. The identification with Baecula seems entirely plausible, although some topographical problems have to be sorted out. We are now pretty sure that Baecula is NOT at modern Bailen, where neither topography nor archaeological remains -absent- fit a Hannibalic War battle. The fields at Santo Tome, on the other hand, do.

A systematic surface survey is now in progress by a field team from Jaenb University under trhe overall direction of Prof. Arturo Ruiz, using GPS technology and covering a lot of terrain. All finds are being carefully plotted and some patterns are beginning to appear, although a lot of work remains to be done in the next five years.

More than twenty Carthaginian coins have now been found in controlled surface surveys -mostly the small bronze 'camp' currency, but also some silver coins known to have been minted between 218-206 BC at Carthago Nova or Gadir. Many others -hundreds perhaps- are known to have been dug by illicit diggers over the past twenty years. No coins of a latter date (Sertorian or Caesarian for example) have been found so far.

Also, darts, javelin heads, a pilum head of a particular type, and many lead slingbullets have been found in an area over 1000x800 m. The javelins, in partifular, have parallels in late third-early second BC Iberian burials but also in Numidian burials of that date.

Most important, HUNDREDS of Roman caligae hobnails have been found, of the known types. As far as I know, the earliest published Roman hobnails from controlled archaeological context come from the Caesarian camps at Alesia (JRMES 1997...). Now, it seems metal hobnails of exactly the same types were being used c. 200 BC. and earlier. No weapons, coins or other material of 1st century BC or later date are being found, so the context of these hobnails is 3rd century BC Republican Roman.

I enclose a picture, not to be reproduced elsewhere as it is material under study now and not published yet. By the way, any one knows of very early hobnails in other Roman Republican sites?. We'd be grateful

[LUCIUS ALFENUS AVITIANUS]

Hello, Fernando

Very interesting. Are there made of copper alloy?

IMO, some of them could be another kind of nails, i think 2047, 2070, 2064, 2085. But 2090, for exemple, its clearly a hobnail! III century hobnails !!!! hock:

[Thersites]

All the 'big headed' nails are caligae hobnails; and n. 2064 in particular is the clearest example, with direct parallels both in Caesarian (Alesia) and Augustean (Kalkriese) times. My only doubts (in this particular sample) lie with ns. 2073 and 2090.

[M. Demetrius]

Keep up the good work fellows, and drink plenty of water. Stay hydrated.

[Thersites]

Heh heh...! Indeed, it can reach 42ºC in the shade in summer up there in the fields, but this year the real problem in September were torrential rains!


César: Hola, ¿cómo va todo? Qué tal tu luna de miel? Vaya palo lo de Paul... que tendrá consecuencias. Bueno...

As for hobnails... they are all iron, so far,as was to be expected. But in France there are sometimes clous of the smaller variety ion bronze, 2nd century BC

[LUCIUS ALFENUS AVITIANUS]

Fernando...

All right. This week i'll go to fix the sword, and complet the text. Now, i'm not so busy... Thanks for your congratulations!

[Paullus]

Those are some fantastic finds Thanks for the update and, as David said, keep up the good work!

[Paullus Scipio]

Keep up the good work fellows,

....and the same from me !! I've sent you another P.M, but you don't seem to have picked it up yet, Fernando........

[Thersites]

Not yet... but they seem to come in batches after a few days' delay ... hock: :?

[Paullus Scipio]

Thersites said:-

Not yet... but they seem to come in batches after a few days' delay ...

Yes, P.M's don't seem to be too reliable.....you should have my direct e-mail address...let's try that

[kistlerj]

I am curious, not knowing much about Roman hobnails...
Are these like cleats used in shoes, for traction on Roman footwear?

And the photographs posted here, are those fairly normal hobnails?

The reason I ask is because Hasdrubal's Carthaginian army did have a significant number of war elephants, and one of the normal ways of stopping enemy elephants is using caltrops, foot spikes. Elephant feet are very sensitive. So I was just wondering if any of these hobnails might have been intentionally laid out as nails for the elephants to step on. Earlier Greek armies sometimes connected such spikes with chains to make them easier to move around in groups.

[Paullus]

Yes, kistlerj, they were imbedded on the sole. Made it a whole lot easier to keep your footing while advancing over a pile of dead Celts.

Interesting idea about the anti-elephant defence. My question is would the hobnails be even big enough to slow an elephant down? The spikes on a tribulus were far larger than these. I've never read what the exact dimensions are but they appear to have spikes roughly 2.5 to 3 inches long. That would seem to make more sense in an anti-elephant role.

[kistlerj]

Perhaps those hobnails are too short, it would probably need to be 1.5 inches long for the elephant to notice immediately on most parts of the foot. Every day the mahout checks the elephant's feet for anything stuck there and removes it, because it can work itself up farther and hobble the elephant eventually, even if small. Pachyderm feet are very sensitive and they cannot fight or concentrate on anything while in foot pain.