Saturday, May 30, 2026

On Slavic Warriors - published

 Slavete Omnes,



some good news for the aficionados of the early medieval Slavic military history. 

Illustration from the book - Theutonicorum rex 


Vincent Rospond et Mateusz Julecki  translated and Winged Hussar Publishing LLC published  On Slavic Warriors, study by Igor Gorewicz of Triglav. about the Druzhinas (comitatus) and thir battles on land and sea. 
The newly published book 

cover photo by Marek Kalisinski

is available on Simon & Schuster website, on Amazon  , on  the On Military Matters etc.


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illustration from inside - the Arkona Gate
ps

 some imagery from Wiki Commons about Arkona on the Rugia (Rugen) Island.









enjoy

Valete

Thursday, May 28, 2026

Dun and grullo Sorraia horses of Iberian Peninsula

 Salvete Omnes,

convex profile 


I am always interested in the rare breeds of horses, and the Portuguese Sorraia horse is one of them

dorsal stripe on a foal

2007 genetics study of the Portuguese and German herds

  Sorraia horses from Portugal (but also bred in the US, Canada and Germany) are usually dun or grullo (Rata in Portuguese) with primitive markings.

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Zebra stripes on the foal's legs








Canada 







Iberian Sorraia phenotype is present in the Black Hills sanctuary in South Dakota,  in Kiger Mustangs of Oregon, and some Pryor Mountian mustangs of Wyoiming etc.


Dr Sponenberg on the American Sorraias - interview

Iberian Origin of the New World horse - DNA study. 

Iberian horses from the Ice Age onward  - 2024 DNA study.

images are from Wiki Commons


Valete

Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Bison & Indigenous People of the Plains

 Salvete Omens,



The Memorial Day weekend came and went and let us share this video of Bison, People and Plains from Ancient Americas Yt channel. 



Before the coming of the horse the bison (Plains and Wood Bison) 




and indigenous people lived in a particular relationship, with perhaps as many as 30 to 35 million bison living in the North America, hunted by the Indians and thus providing them with food, skins for tents and clothing, bone tools and many, many other uses. 



The dogs pulled smalledr travois and thus their tipis were smaller. During the 1500s the Plains Apaches who were the nomads lived in their wickiups in their Plains rancherias.



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The dominant pre-Columbian Plains  inhabitants were the  horticultural tribes  who lived in the Plains from time immemorial. They lived by the rivers in the river valleys with fertile soil, in their permanent earth lodge villages (eg Pawnees, Mandan etc) or like the Caddo confederacies in large towns made out of the grass houses.  


Their hunts were seasonal and when hunting they also used tipis for dwellings during this communal hunts. 







enjoy 

ps there is a project Hunt Primitive in North America, where they hunt animals, including bison, with stone weapons - bow and arrows, atlatal, spears etc.



Valete