Drink wine for breakfast, put on a 51-pound suit and go to the battlefield
In the combat study, soldiers fought on foot and in chariots, using replica weapons including a spear with blunt edges and a point, and spent a lot of time walking and riding in chariots. They also followed a meal plan created by the researchers, which included a breakfast consisting mainly of dry bread, goat cheese, green olives and red wine.
They could not wear Dendra armor, which dates back to around 1450 BC. Instead, the soldiers wore a copper replica, the closest alloy to the original bronze available, the study says. The replica was made in 1984 by students and staff from the metalworking department at the now closed Bournville College of Art in Birmingham, England.
Wanted: soldiers as big as the ancient Greeks
The researchers looked for Marines who had similar body proportions t...