Lamellar armor is considered one of the most effective types of ancient armor. The first mention of it dates back to biblical times. It is known that this armor in its effectiveness surpassed armor. She took second place after chain mail, which gradually began to lose ground. In the 13-14 centuries, lamellar armor completely replaced it and began to be widely used by nomads, Byzantine soldiers, Chukchi, Koryak, and Germanic tribes.
Name history
The lamellar armor got its name due to a peculiar design consisting of many metal plates (lat. Lamella - “plate”, “flake”). These steel elements are interconnected using a cord. Lamellar armor in each state had its own distinctive features. But the principle of connecting the plates with a cord was common to all ancient armor.
Bronze armor
In Palestine, Egypt and Mesopotamia, bronze was used to make lamellae. This metal was widely used in the east and in the center of Asia. Here warriors were equipped with lamellar armor until the nineteenth century.
What was the armor in ancient Russia?
Until the middle of the twentieth century, among scientists who studied ancient Russian weapons, it was believed that our ancestors used only chain mail. This statement remained unchanged for a long time, despite the fact that lamellar armor was depicted on frescoes, icons, stone carvings and miniatures. The board armor was considered conditional, and any mention of it was ignored.
Archaeological work of 1948-1958
After the end of World War II, Soviet archaeologists in the territory of Novgorod discovered more than 500 charred lamellar plates. The find gives reason to argue that the ancient Russians also widely used lamellar armor.
Russia. Years of the Mongol invasion
As a result of archaeological excavations in the territory of Gomel, scientists discovered the largest workshop for the manufacture of armor. It was burned by the Mongols in 1239. Under the rubble, archaeologists discovered swords, sabers, and over twenty kinds of ready-made lamellar plates. Defective flake products and blanks were found in a separate room: they had no holes and bends, and the edges of the plates contained burrs. The fact of finding a long awl, file, twist drill, grinding and grinding wheels at first encouraged scientists to think that it was here that lamellar armor was made, assembled and fitted. Making armor, meanwhile, is only possible with a blacksmith forge. But this equipment was not found either in the workshop premises or nearby. Researchers concluded that an ancient weapons depot was discovered in Gomel, while the manufacturing process for making armor was carried out elsewhere.
What is lamellar armor?
By connecting small metal plates with the help of shoelaces, the ribbons of which the lamellar armor consists are assembled. The photo below presents the features of the combination of steel flakes in the product.
Assembly work should take place in such a way that each plate with one of its edges overlaps the neighboring one. After conducting research on the reconstructed armor of different countries, scientists came to the conclusion that the plates that made up the Byzantine lamellar armor did not overlap, but fit snugly together and attached to the skin. The ribbons were connected first horizontally, and then vertically. Forging metal plates was laborious. The process of assembling the armor itself was not particularly difficult.
Description
The weight of the armor from plates with a thickness of 1.5 mm ranged from 14 to 16 kg. Lamellar armor with lined plates surpassed chain mail in efficiency. The cuirass, created according to the lamellar pattern, is able to reliably protect against piercing weapons and arrows. The weight of this product does not exceed five kilograms. The strike force of the enemy’s weapons is dispersed along the surface of the armor, without causing any harm to the warrior dressed in armor.
Mounting Methods
In order to prevent damage to the armor, the plates in it were connected with two special cords so that their length on the back was insignificant. If one cord was torn, the steel elements in the armor were held second. This made it possible for the warrior to replace damaged plates independently if necessary. This method of attachment was basic, but not the only one. It was also possible to use metal wire or rivets. Such designs are characterized by high strength. The disadvantage of the second method is the low mobility of the armor.
First, belts were used to connect steel plates. Over time, this practice was discontinued. This was due to the fact that when chopping the sword, the lamellar armor was often damaged. The armor, which used rivets and wire, was able to withstand the blows of various types of weapons.
The form
The constituent elements of the armor are rectangular steel products with paired holes evenly distributed over the entire surface. Some plates in it contain bulges. They are necessary in order to better reflect or weaken the blows of arrows, spears and other weapons.
Where does plate armor meet?
When reproducing the historical events of the Middle Ages in feature films, heroes often use lamellar armor. Skyrim is one of the most popular computer games, where a lot of attention is also paid to the plate armor theme. According to the conditions, these armors are worn by mercenaries, marauders and leaders of bandits. In the game, this heavy armor becomes available after passing the eighteenth level, when the hero has a need for a more serious level of protection. It is able to provide advanced steel plate armor, which in its characteristics significantly exceeds the usual set of steel.
How to make lamellar armor?
You can become the owner of this heavy armor in two ways:
- Use the services of workshops involved in the manufacture of such armor.
- Get the necessary drawings, diagrams and materials, and then start making lamellar armor with your own hands. It is possible to carry out work with reference to any historical event. Or just make plate armor according to your favorite pattern.
What do you need for work?
- Steel plates. They are the most important element in the armor and must have the appropriate form of assembly. The thickness of the hardened plates should not exceed 1 mm. Lamellar armor made of convex plates, which, unlike flat ones, are expensive, will look much more effective. Given the size of the human body, it can be assumed that at least 350-400 plates of 3x9 mm in size will be needed for armor.
- Leather belts. They are necessary for bonding metal plates to each other. The optimum thickness of the belts should be 2 mm. Experienced users recommend that you do not purchase ready-made belts. It is better to get sheets of skin of the required thickness, and cut the belts yourself. This will allow you to correctly calculate the required length of the cords. It is recommended to cut belts with a width of 0.5 cm. They are ideal for holes whose diameter is 0.3 cm. For work, you will need 80 m of cord. For the manufacture of belts, you can use rawhide or silk cord. The strips should be cut along so that they can hardly pass through the holes in the plates.
How is the process going?
- Cooked steel plates must have paired openings. They are carried out by a drill. Each hole is stitched with kapron threads. Before starting the firmware, each plate should be sanded, after which its thickness may slightly decrease. Despite the fact that the decrease in thickness is not particularly noticeable, since the plates overlap each other, their thickness of at least 1 mm is initially recommended. When testing lamellar armor with 1 mm plates, four arrows fired from a distance of 20 m with a bow tension of 25 kg did not seriously damage the armor.
- Beating plates. The procedure is necessary for the formation of bulges on the products. This work is carried out on a wooden basis with the help of a three hundred gram hammer with a rounded brisk.
- Painting plates. To burn the product, you can use vegetable oil. Before work, the product is subject to heat. The surfaces of the plates are processed on both sides. It is recommended to cover the inside with a special varnish for metal, and the outside - just polish, and if necessary, cover and cover with gilding.
- Belt processing. Before passing the cord through the holes in the plates, the pieces of leather from which it is made must be processed. To do this, the cord is carried out several times over a piece of solid wax. If the belt is linen, then it is subject to waxing. From time to time it is recommended to wipe the belts with a cloth dipped in vegetable oil. This will protect them from possible drying out. Steel plates are also recommended to be oiled. An exclusive leather belt is recommended for edging.
- For work, it is recommended to use leather belts. They are better than products made of silk thread, as they are able to stretch. This quality is especially important when creating lamellar armor, since the armor, circling the body, should initially be very tight, stretch after a while.
- At the ends of the plates, tapes are passed into paired holes, which are subsequently bonded. Care must be taken to ensure that binding occurs freely. This will give the steel plates the ability to move one above the other like a segmented armor.
- To prevent rust from forming on the plates, they must be treated with phosphoric acid. Dull metallic - this color acquires lamellar armor after treatment with acid.
- For the manufacture of homemade lamellar armor, you can use plates of soft galvanized sheet.
Handicraft armor, made at home, is mainly intended for beauty, and not for protection. It is mainly used as a souvenir.