Spear Gallery

Queen Boudica of the Iceni Tribe

Queen Boudica of the Iceni Tribe. Commanded a combined army of British tribes which rose up and sacked Camulodunum (Colchester), London (Londinium) and St Albans (Verulamium) before finally being defeated by Suetonius troops at the Battle of Watling Street

© Mary Evans Picture Library/SHIRLEY EVANS

Ancient, Anglia, Anglian, Army, Attack, Battle, Boedicea, Boudicca, British, Briton, Chariot, Commander, Commanding, East, Flowing, Hair, Historical, History, Iceni, Locks, Long, Queen, Shield, Spear, Street, Tribal, Tribe, Warrior, Watling

Piltdown Man reconstructed, 1912

Piltdown Man, as imagined by Illustrated London News special artist Amedee Forestier, soon after the discovery of the bones was made public in 1912. Believed to be the missing link between man and ape, the spectacular discovery was revealed to be an elaborate hoax in 1953

© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans

Ape, Archaeology, Bear, Discovery, Down, Early, East, Elephant, Elephants, Forestier, Hippo, Hippopotamus, Hippos, Hoax, Human, Humans, Hunt, Hunter, Hunting, Illustrated, Importance, Link, London, Man, Missing, News, Paleontology, Pilt, Piltdown, Prehistoric, Prehistory, Reconstructed, Reconstruction, Spear, Supreme, Sussex

Pattern 1796 Heavy Cavalry Troopers sword, 1814 (c)

Pattern 1796 Heavy Cavalry Troopers sword, 1814 (c); blade is stamped with the makers name, I Gill; the original hatchet blade made this Pattern useless for thrusting, its lack of curvature also made it an inefficient slashing sword, the blade was therefore modified to a spear-point, the grinding down is traditionally thought to have taken place before Battle of Waterloo; disc guard with the langets removed and the inner edge is ground down to prevent fraying of the wearers uniform. . Sword, cavalry trooper, pattern 1796 Date: circa 1814

© The National Army Museum / Mary Evans Picture Library