is it possible for blood/flesh to remain on a blade for over a century....

[Mark]

Originally Posted by M ELEY

I've been in medicine for close to 20 years, as a paramedic and a nurse. I've seen a lot of crime scenes and bladed weapons used in these. Blood could corrode a blade, but the "stain" as far as we know it, would never remain. Blood is made up of cellular tissue that clots, dries, and flakes off. If we were talking about cloth/textiles, it would be a different story.

I agree that blood would not stain (color or tint) steel in the sense of a stain on cloth. What I meant was the black oxides of the corrosion, which might not necessarily include deep pitting, could remain as a black blotch on the surface of the metal.

[chevalier]

this was said of one of skanderbeg's swords in a museum in the early 1900's:


"According to Faik Konica, who viewed the sword at the beginning of the 20th century, there were still stains of blood on the blade."

[ward]

thats a romantic nationalst talking not a historian

[Atlantia]

I've got this old spear laying around, I dont really want it and its DEFINATELY got REAL blood stains all over it......
Any offers?

[asomotif]

Nice spear head

What is it ? Roman around the year 30 AD

[Atlantia]

Originally Posted by asomotif

Nice spear head

What is it ? Roman around the year 30 AD

Yeah, but its borken and no shaft, and the blood stains devalue it. :-(

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by chevalier

this was said of one of skanderbeg's swords in a museum in the early 1900's:


"According to Faik Konica, who viewed the sword at the beginning of the 20th century, there were still stains of blood on the blade."

Excellent research Chevalier!
What museum was this? Who was Faik Konika? Can you say the reference, page in case we would like to check further?

[ariel]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Excellent research Chevalier!
What museum was this? Who was Faik Konika? Can you say the reference, page in case we would like to check further?

The power of Google:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faik_Konica
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arms_of_Skanderbeg

[chevalier]

in keeping with the subtopic


is the "spear of longinus' one and the same as the "antioch arrow/lance" the crusaders found during the seige of antioch???

[chevalier]

..and yes, i took the quote from a wikipedia page on the arms of skanderbeg.


ive been interested in surviving arms of kings/chiefs/military commanders in europe and elsewhere.

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by chevalier

..and yes, i took the quote from a wikipedia page on the arms of skanderbeg.


ive been interested in surviving arms of kings/chiefs/military commanders in europe and elsewhere.

Busy minds are happy minds!
What the heck did we ever do before computers!!! Back in the old days I could never have imagined all this info at my fingertips.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by chevalier

in keeping with the subtopic


is the "spear of longinus' one and the same as the "antioch arrow/lance" the crusaders found during the seige of antioch???

Apparently not. Again, Wikipedia to the rescue (search "longinus spear"). According to that august authority, there are no less than three spears (in four different places): the "Vatican" spear (the tip of which is in Paris), the "Echmiadzin" spear (the one from Antioch, now in Armenia), and the "Vienna" spear (the one in this thread). The Vienna spear has been dated to no earlier than the 7th C, so it seems that it is the least likely of the three to be genuine.