The thesis shows that in the context of war technology innovation, even the most basic hand-held firearms marked a significant advantage, multiplying the attack potential of mechanical ranged weapons. This, in turn, was the introduction to great changes in warfare in Europe – the importance and popularity of armour diminished as it became decreasingly effective against new forms of attack.
"While was historians largely agree that the coming about of cannons was the breaking point in fort architecture, and therefore general warfare, the role of basic hand-held firearms remains rather unclear," says Jaak Mäll and adds that firearms have also been an important technological innovation in general technological history. "They are the first machines in which useful kinetic energy is achieved due to a chemical reaction, making these basic firearms the technological predecessors of steam and internal combustion engines," he explained.
The main research method of the thesis is experimental archaeology, which looks at historic and prehistoric technologies by reconstructing them, and documenting and measuring the results of various tests. Mäll used this method to study the oldest known firearm in Estonia – the Otepää handgonne. "The thesis looks at the dating method and the historic context of this item, the documentation and restoration, the firing tests, as well as the analysis of the tests and the perceived tactical properties of firearms," Mäll explained the research process.
The thesis presents a novel basis for methodological, theoretical and processual archaeological experimentation. The new methods, developed during the thesis research, is based on the works of philosopher Karl Popper and the archaeologist Edward Harris. The methodological tool that emerged – the archaeological experiment matrix – should ease the planning and analysing phases of archaeological experiments, giving a clear overview based on causal relations within the process. When needed, this method also enables viewing at the various parts of the processes separately and pre-experiment with the sole aim of studying a single hypothetical factor in isolation.
Author(s): Jaak Mäll
Series: Tallinn University. Dissertations on Humanities, 41
Publisher: Tallinn University
Year: 2017
Language: English
Pages: 200
INTRODUCTION 9
1. STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM 13
2. A CRITICAL DISCUSSION OF PREVIOUS EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH OF
THE HISTORICAL EUROPEAN FIREARMS 22
2.1 The Criteria of Evaluation 22
2.2 Alan Williams (1974) 23
2.2.1 The Firearms 23
2.2.2 The Propellant 23
2.2.3 The Projectiles 23
2.2.4 The Measuring Equipment 24
2.2.5 The Results of the Experiment 24
2.2.6 Critical Discussion 24
2.3 PAUL KALAUS (1989) 25
2.3.1 The Firearms 25
2.3.2 The Propellant and the Projectiles 25
2.3.3 The Experimental Setup and the Measuring Equipment 26
2.3.4 The Results of the Experiment Relevant to the Current Work 26
2.3.5 Critical Discussion 27
2.4 Peter Vemming Hansen and Medieval Gunpowder Research Group (Vemming Hansen 2001; MGRG 2002; MGRG 2003) 28
2.4.1 The Firearm 29
2.4.2 The Propellant 29
2.4.3 The Projectiles 30
2.4.4 The Measuring Equipment 30
2.4.5 The Results of the Experiments 30
2.4.6 Critical Discussion 30
2.5 Ulrich Bretscher (2009A; 2009B; 2010) 31
2.5.1 The Propellant 31
2.5.2 The Firearm 32
2.5.3 The Results of the Experiments with the ‘Replica’ of the Tannenberg Handgonne 33
2.5.4 Critical Discussion 34
2.6 Conclusion: Ex Falso Quodlibet 34
3. THEORY AND METHOD IN EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY 36
3.1 Some Introductory Remarks on the Historiography of a Theory of Archaeological Experiment 36
3.1.1 Pascale Richter (1991) 36
3.1.2 Peter Reynolds (1999) 38
3.1.3 EuroREA 2005 39
3.1.4 Dirk Vorlauf (2011) 41
3.1.5 The Poverty of Experimental Archaeology 41
3.2 The Critical Rationalist Solution to the Problem of Induction 42
3.2.1 Logical Invalidity of Induction 42
3.2.2 Solution to Hume's Paradox 42
3.2.3 The Growth of Scientific Knowledge 43
3.2.4 The Principle of Falsification 44
3.2.5 The desiderata in Critical Rationalism 44
3.2.6 The Critical Rationalist Argument 45
3.3 Experimental Archaeology – a Critical Rationalist Programme 46
3.3.1 Defining the Subject 46
3.3.2 Problem of Demarcation – Scientific and Metaphysical Theories in
Archaeology 47
3.3.3 The Structure of a Scientific Archaeological Experiment 47
3.3.4 A Logical Demonstration of the Validity of Experimental Falsification 48
3.3.5. A Roadmap for an Archaeological Experiment 49
3.3.6 Matrix of Experiment – Relations and Rules 50
3.3.7 An Analytical Tool 51
3.4 Conclusion 52
4. HYPOTHESIS, PREDICTIONS AND NUMERICAL VALUES 53
4.1 Attaching Numerical Values to Predictions 53
4.2 Necessary but Insufficient? 57
5. THE STRUCTURE OF THE EXPERIMENT 59
5.1 The Firearm 59
5.1.1 The Historical Background of the Artefact 60
5.1.2 Numerical Data from the Remains of the Otepää Handgonne 65
5.1.2.1 The Materials 65
5.1.2.2 The Surviving Dimensions 66
5.1.3. The Reconstruction of the Missing Data 67
5.1.3.1 The Design Principles of the Early Firearms 68
5.1.3.2 Reconstructing the Missing Dimensions of the Otepää Handgonne –
Combining Fragmentary Data and General Principles 73
5.1.4 Reconstructing the Technological Process of the Manufacture 73
5.1.4.1 The Technological Framework of the Medieval Bronze-Casting 74
5.1.4.2 Reconstruction of the Manufacturing Process of the Otepää Handgonne 78
5.1.4.2.1 The Cores 78
5.1.4.2.2 The Wax Model 78
5.1.4.2.3 Assembly and the Mould Sleeve 80
5.1.4.2.4 The Foundry Equipment 80
5.1.4.2.5 The Casting Process 83
5.1.5 The Sub-Matrix for Variable Factor V1 87
5.2 The Propellant 87
5.2.1 The Ingredients 87
5.2.2 The Composition and Manufacture of the Medieval Gunpowder 91
5.2.3 The Sub-Matrix for Variable Factor V2 99
5.3 The Projectile 99
5.3.1 Cylindrical Lead Projectiles 100
5.3.2. Manufacture of Lead Projectiles 101
5.3.3 The Sub-Matrix for Variable Factor V3 102
5.4 Conclusion: the Complete Matrix of the Experiment 102
6. THE EXPERIMENT 104
6.1 The Test Device 104
6.2 The Propellant 104
6.3 The Projectiles 105
6.4 Penetration Tests 105
6.5 Velocity Measurements 108
6.6 Observations on Tactical Characteristics of the Test Device 109
6.6.1 Rate of Fire 109
6.6.2 Accuracy and Range 110
6.6.3. Reliability and Safety 111
6.7 Conclusion 112
7. THE EVALUATION OF THE RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS AGAINST EXPERIMENTAL DATA 113
7.1 Falsification Attempt of Prediction I 113
7.2 Falsification Attempt of The Prediction II 114
7.3. Possible Anecdotal Evidence for Effectiveness of Handgonnes against Armour 116
CONCLUSION 120
REFERENCES 122
KOKKUVÕTE 131
APPENDIX I: PLATES 143
ELULOOKIRJELDUS 192
CURRICULUM VITAE 193
