Viking Leather lamellar Armour; lamellar Cuirass; Leather Armor; Viking Armor

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A certain coterie of re-enactors is very keenly committed to the notion that there was such a thing as 'Viking lamellar'; that is to say, lamellar that was made by, and used widely by, the Norse. The evidence by no means supports this idea. It is true that a small quantity of lamellar was found on the island of Birka in modern-day Sweden, which had been a major town prior to its destruction around 970. This find was, however, very scanty and fragmentary, and has been misrepresented. Insofar as more or less complete plates could be identified from Birka, there are five types of significantly differing sizes, shapes and hole patterns. Only three are actually lames. The other two are clearly scales rather than lames, contrary to Thordeman's classification. While substantially differing plate forms can very occasionally be found in a single corselet, it is more likely that the three types of lamellar plates were from disparate armours. The total quantity, even if one makes the rash assumption that every fragment represents an entire plate, irrespective of plate type, is not sufficient to make even half a basic chest-plate. The pieces were found in the remains of a burned building which the archaeologists dubbed 'the armoury', for no reason other than the presence of this armour. It cannot be assumed that such a portion would be left behind in the final cataclysm if it had been in anything like a functional state. It is far more likely that this was a collection of scrap metal for recycling. No other Scandinavian archaeology of the Viking era (793-1066) has yielded anything to corroborate this find." A polearm known as the atgeir is mentioned in several sagas of Icelanders and other literature. Atgeir is usually translated as "halberd", akin to a glaive. Gunnar Hámundarson is described in Njáls saga as cutting and impaling foes on his atgeir.

Therefore, iron mail may not have been widely used in Mongol armor. Due to the nomadic lifestyle of the Mongols, Mongolian armor was often lighter than its Eastern and Western equivalents.This fur-lined robe-like clothing had a button closure a few inches below the right armpit and was closed by crossing the left flap over the right. Anti-Arrow Silk Clothing A Mongolian warrior with a traditional coat. One of the figures of mounted Mongol Yuan soldiers from the excavation of Hesheng Tomb in Qindu District, China. (Image: 三猎) Chain mail’s high price, cumbersome size, and challenging maintenance history made it a well-known but uncommon kind of armor for the Mongols. The elite of the Mongol army were mounted archers who needed armor that would not restrict their movement while riding. Armour in the Zhou dynasty consisted of either a sleeveless coat of rhinoceros or buffalo hide, or leather scale armour. Helmets were largely similar to Shang predecessors but less ornate. Chariot horses were sometimes protected by tiger skins. [3] The History of Song notes that Song "tools of war were exceedingly effective, never before seen in recent times," [71] and "their weapons and armor were very good", [71] but "their troops weren't always effective." [71] According to Sima Guang, since most military problems came from the north, the military establishment in the south was neglected, leaving soldiers without armour and even cities without gates. [72] As with maille hauberks, the length of lamellar armour varied. Cavalry typically used a straightforward ‘cuirass’ covering the torso, leaving the arms uncovered, and generally not extending below the belt. By the twelfth century, infantry lamellar often included a ‘skirt’ of inverted lames covering the groin and extending to mid-thigh or knee-length. Similarly inverted lamellar sections often provided elbow-length sleeves.

Contrary to popular belief, lamellar armor does not hinder mobility as much as commonly portrayed. While it may not offer the same level of flexibility as lighter armors like chainmail, skilled wearers can still move relatively freely. The individual lamellae are typically attached using flexible materials such as leather or fabric, allowing for some degree of movement and articulation. Misconception: Lamellar Armor is Heavy and Cumbersome The form of the brigandine is essentially the same as the civilian doublet, though it is commonly sleeveless. However, depictions of brigandines with sleeves are known. The small armour plates were sometimes riveted between two layers of stout cloth, or just to an outer layer. Unlike armour for the torso made from large plates, the brigandine was flexible, with a degree of movement between each of the overlapping plates. Many brigandines appear to have had larger, somewhat L-shaped plates over the central chest area. The rivets attaching the plates to the fabric were often decorated, being gilt, or of latten, and sometimes embossed with a design. The rivets were also often grouped to produce a repeating decorative pattern. In more expensive brigandines the outer layer of cloth was usually of velvet. The contrast between a richly dyed velvet cloth and gilded rivet heads must have been impressive and, unsurprisingly, such armour was popular with high-status individuals. Andrade, Tonio (2016), The Gunpowder Age: China, Military Innovation, and the Rise of the West in World History, Princeton University Press, ISBN 978-0-691-13597-7 . There is an alternative theory that mountain pattern armour is simply a result of very stylistic depictions of mail armour, [63] but known depictions of mail armour in Chinese art do not match with mountain pattern armour either.At the beginning of the Sengoku period Japanese armour typically had two versions – expensive and inexpensive. The difference was that expensive versions were made from hundreds or even thousands of individual leather and or iron scales laced together into armor strips (lamellar), this was a very time-consuming process. [4] The two most common types of scales which made up the Japanese lamellar armors were hon kozane which were constructed from narrow or small scales, and hon iyozane which were constructed from wider scales. Sacred texts and buried treasures: issues in the historical archaeology of ancient Japan, William Wayne Farris, University of Hawaii Press, 1998 P.75 Initially for centuries laminar armour was just a less expensive version of lamellar armor. Laminar was just made from horizontal strips of armour laced like strips of lamellar plates, but without extra-lacing and notches imitating strips of lamellar armour. And like in lamellar armour these laces could be occasionally cut during battle; the laces also frayed when an armour was worn for long periods without being mended.

Note that the riveted lamellar used by Byzantine regulars was a distinctive form. The lamellar popular among steppe tribes and the Turkish military elites of the Islamic world was generally wholly laced together. A heavy coat fastened at the waist with a leather belt to carry the warrior’s sword (“kilij”) or scimitar, dagger, and maybe a saddle axe was the basic armor of the warrior in the sparse cultural setting of Mongol nomadism.Like most other Scandinavian weaponry, axes were often given names. According to Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, axes were often named after she-trolls. [22] Spear [ edit ] Characterization of pre-Viking-Age (7th century) Anglo-Saxon equipment and dress (2010 photograph) The extent to which either type was used is a debated topic. The earliest definite instance of true lamellar was found in China. Twelve suits of lacquered lamellar dated to c. 433 BC were uncovered in a tomb at Sui-hsien, Hupei. [ citation needed] Lamellar was used by various cultures from this time up through the 16th century. Lamellar armour is generally associated with the armour worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan, although it came to Japan from Korea. [3]Lamellar armour is also associated with Mongolia, Eastern Russia disambiguation needed, the tribes of Siberia and the Sarmatians, evidence of lamellar armour has also been found in various European countries. [3] Japanese lamellar armour [ ] When the Mongols invaded Europe in 1240, they brought with them the Mongolian armor that they used to ravage Kievan Rus’ and seriously devastate the Kingdom of Hungary.