What was lamellar armor used for?

Byzantine lamellar armour Lamellar is pictured in many historical sources on Byzantine warriors, especially heavy cavalry. It is thought that it was worn to create a more deflective surface to the rider’s armour, thus allowing blades to skim over, rather than strike and pierce.

How much did lamellar armor weigh?

The weight of scale and lamellar armour is almost the same36. A complete set of 1-1.5 mm thick armour weighs 14-16 kg. 37 The plates of lamellar armour are arranged in several layers and its protective properties greatly exceed those of mail. A lamellar cuirass, comprising 1.5 mm plates, weighs 5 kg.

How thick is lamellar armor?

These plates are quite durable, and are 2” wide x 3.375” long, 0.160” thick, weighing 1.55# per 50.

How effective is wooden armor?

Wooden armor would be good enough against common bow and slungs. In fact it will be better than steel one, because of smaller weight (and better mobility). But that’s all pros. All other medieval weapons would cut and crush wooden armor through.

How good is scale Armour?

Scale armour offers better and more solid protection from piercing and blunt attacks than mail. It is also cheaper to produce, but it is not as flexible and does not offer the same amount of coverage.

What is a lamellar horn?

Lamellar is a type of armor in which small plates of various types of materials are strung together in parallel rows using fine cord. Lamellar plates can be constructed from lacquered leather, horn, or even stone, though suits of iron and steel are the most common.

Where was lamellar armor used?

Lamellar armor was used over a wide range of time periods in Eastern Europe, Western Asia, Central Asia, and Eastern Asia (especially in China, Japan, Mongolia, and Tibet ). The earliest evidence for lamellar armor comes from sculpted artwork of the Neo-Assyrian Empire in the Near East .

What are the lamellar’s weaknesses?

The various tests run against these armors demonstrate lamellar’s, particularly leather and bronze scale lamellar’s, weaknesses to thrusting weapons and repeated slashes. The leather lamellar proved to be particularly effective only when defending against bolts and arrows.

Was Byzantine lamellar armor superior to mail armor?

Recent studies by Timothy Dawson of the University of New England, Australia, suggest that Byzantine lamellar armour was significantly superior to mail armour. Lamellar armour reached Japan around the 5th century, predating the rise of the samurai caste.

What is Japanese lamellar armour made of?

Japanese lamellar armour was made from hundreds or even thousands of individual leather (rawhide) or iron scales or lamellae known as kozane, that were lacquered and laced together into armour strips. This was a very time-consuming process.