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Lamellar armour
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lamellar armour is a kind of personal armour consisting of small plates (lames) which are laced together in parallel rows. Lamellar armour evolved from scale armour[citation needed], from which it differs by not needing a backing for the scales. It is made from pieces of lacquered leather, iron, steel or horn held together with silk, leather thongs, or cotton thread. When the lames are made of leather they would often be hardened by a process such as cuir bouilli or lacquering.
Lamellar was often worn as augmentation to existing armour, such as over a maille hauberk. The lamellar cuirass was especially popular with the Rus, the Scandinavian settlers of Russia, as well as Mongols, Turks, Avars, and other steppe peoples as it was simple to create and maintain.
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.
It has been believed that the Assyrians circa 900–600 BC developed lamellar; however Assyrian armour is more accurately classified as scale armour[citation needed]. The earliest instance of true lamellar was found in China when twelve suits of lacquered lamellar were uncovered in a tomb at Sui-hsien, Hupei (dated to c.433BC). Lamellar was used by various cultures from this time up through the 16th century. It is generally associated with the Japanese Samurai, although the armour came to Japan from contact with Tang Dynasty China. It is also associated with the steppe people of southern Russia and Mongolia, and the Spartan Army.