Gun Ignition Systems: Evolution and Adoption by "the Military" 1570-1870

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "The Archaeology of Arms: New Analytical Approaches", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

This paper is a chronological overview of how gun powder weapon systems were activated and how the military’s adoption on new weapons affected troops in the field and their tactics. Once a weapon was loaded, igniting the black powder to discharge the projectile, became a key part of making guns practical. As changes occurred over three hundred years, there were various constraints on upgrading and/or replacing weaponry being used by standing armies that affected operations and tactics in various wars. There examples will be given illustrating how adoption affected tactics that artifacts on battlefields can show.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Archaeology of Arms: New Analytical Approaches   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow