Montefortino Helmet
One of the most critical pieces of Roman armor, the Montefortino helmet used around the 4th century BC, was actually a design borrowed from Celtic warriors.
This helmet featured a simple but life-saving innovation: a small, protruding neck guard at the back.
In the chaos of close-quarters combat, this small flap of metal was designed to deflect downward sword or axe blows aimed at the back of a soldier’s neck.
It was a practical and efficient addition that didn’t add much complexity or cost to the helmet’s production.
The design proved so effective that the Roman Republic adopted it widely, and it became a common sight on the battlefield during major conflicts like the Punic Wars against Carthage.
Initially, soldiers often had to provide their own equipment, but the clear advantages of helmets like the Montefortino led to greater standardization.
This shows the Roman genius for recognizing, adopting, and perfecting effective military technology, regardless of its origin.
The legacy of this simple neck guard can be seen in the design of military helmets for centuries to come, a testament to a feature that saved countless lives.
What’s fascinating is that the Montefortino was not the end of the story for Roman head protection.
It was a starting point that the Romans continuously improved upon.
Later helmets, like the Coolus and the iconic Imperial Gallic types, featured even larger and more refined neck guards.
Roman armorers also added other improvements, such as reinforced brow ridges and more substantial cheek pieces, based on battlefield experience.
This practical approach to military gear, constantly adapting and improving, was a key reason for Rome’s long-standing military dominance.
It shows a deep understanding that protecting the individual soldier was essential for the success of the entire army.
Potentially The Most Important Food Article You Will Ever Read
Was agriculture “the worst mistake in the history of the human race”? Skeletal analysis shows that early farming communities were shorter-lived and sicker than their hunter-gatherer predecessors – height dropped by 5-6 inches, life expectancy fell by seven years. Studies of prehistoric skeletons reveal a nearly 50% increase in signs of malnutrition (like enamel defects in teeth) and a fourfold rise in iron-deficiency anemia when agriculture took over.
The dark side of wheat is a story about listening – listening to our bodies, to the lessons of history, and to the emerging science that challenges nutritional orthodoxies. It urges us to reconsider the comforting narrative that has placed wheat on a pedestal. Yes, wheat nurtured civilizations and fills bellies in a hungry world. But it may also underlie a great deal of the chronic illness that plagues those very civilizations in the modern era.
https://open.substack.com/pub/sayerji/p/beyond-the-gluten-free-fad-the-unchanged
Smart Watch or EMF Poison?
Crisis In Psychiatry
Psychiatrists and their membership body, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, consistently lament about the growing crises in their profession. A regular narrative calling for even more Government funding could easily sway members of the public into thinking a higher proportion of their taxes should be spent on mental health. But think again.
Clever and shrewd investors consider the overall value of a service in a given industry or profession. Amongst other things, they look at value for money, the longevity of a product and its workability. Psychiatry however falls down on all of these points and it’s not because of money or staff.
Psychiatry is fundamentally flawed. A constantly revolving mental health door indicates failing and damaging outcomes of psychiatric “treatments”. Whether it’s voluntary or involuntary “treatment”, patients are being harmed and dying as a result of prescribed psychiatric drugs and brain-damaging ECT. In any other profession, these failures would result in probable closure while also generating court proceedings and custodial sentences. The fact that psychiatry continues in its same operating patterns indicates the profession is currently operating with impunity.
Silence about psychiatric damage and the abject failures is not an option.
Air Fryer Warning
App Hostage
Daily activity timing helps improve fitness and support healthy aging
Older adults who move earlier in the day and stick to a consistent activity schedule have better heart and lung fitness and walk more efficiently
Elephant Rescue
Preserving Tomatoes, the Amish Way
Nice to know for gardeners and those who like to buy lots when the price is low.