Arqueologia bélica: distribuição das armas de fogo vista através dos periódicos nordeste

Abstract

The monograph "Archaeology of War: distribution of firearms seen through the periodicals of the Northeast" is the result of a research project that has been developed since 2016. Its objective is to seek to understand how the process of dispersion of weapons for personal use and weapons of War more commonly used in the Cangaço, between the last decade of century XIX and decade of 1940, with emphasis that the main route of transport of this material culture war until Brazil was through the ports and commercial sea routes. For that, the collection of periodicals of the Digital Library of the National Library was used as main source of information to find documentary records on the armaments in focus. The firearms chosen for the survey were: the rifle and the Mauser automatic pistol; Comblain rifle; Mannlicher rifle or carbine; Luger Parabellum pistol; Winchester rifle; revolver Smith & Wesson; Bergmann submachine gun; and the Hotchkiss machine guns. During these years, the research covered all the periodicals of the states of Brazil Northeast region (Bahia, Sergipe, Alagoas, Pernambuco, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará, Maranhão and Piauí), resulting in a range of the arrival of the weapons used from the end of the nineteenth century until the first half of the twentieth century and its distribution through time and municipalities. The analysis based on the information researched highlights the increasing use of this weaponry by police officers, civilians and cangaceiros, throughout this period. In addition to the already well-known social factors that stimulate banditry in the Sertão, the strengthening of arsenals for or against Cangaço is also due to the abundant availability of these goods produced by the millions of industrialized powers, since the 19th century in an arms race which would culminate in the Great War of 1914-1945.