[split] f85r2

[eggyk]

I wouldn't call that speculation. It was a research question: where do we find swallowtail merlons before 1450? It's a question that can be answered. That answer can then be used in speculation, of course. But the map of swallowtail merlons itself offers us something solid that speculation cannot offer. It's concrete, evidence based. That doesn't mean it's all set in stone. Someone might revisit the map and discover a mistake we made. Or someone could discover a group of outliers, reshaping everything. But the consensus of the map exists and can be interacted with. It can be used in support of one's research, added to, revised...

You're right, my example wasn't really a good example of speculation and for some reason I said that the research part was the speculation, which doesn't make sense. 

I suppose the speculation I meant in that scenario was that those depictions were indeed deliberate portrayals of swallowtail merlons (such as those seen in 15th century italy). However, as it seems so clear that its the case (I doubt its a wall with MMMMM written on top), that might not be a good example either.

Regardless, my point generally is that someone may speculate "I believe that this image depicts "X" ", leading them or others to research such speculation and perhaps find something. Most of that will at this point be re-hashed theories but its possible someone may come up with new, unique ideas. Those ideas may then lead to valid research questions, and then concrete research data like the data you mention.