Plate armor The main type of Indian plate armor is the well-known Iranian charaina, hemispherical helmets and protective bracers, which are represented by a large number of copies. True, the form itself is not considered common, most likely, it comes from

Horse armor In India horse armor was not used as often as in Persia and Turkey. Of course, the Mughal miniatures show armor for the horse, especially in those works that were intended for historical writings, and in books such as

Armor for elephants Unfortunately, the Indians relied too much on elephants. Although at first they caused fear among those who had never seen such huge animals, they could be defeated. At one time, the Romans found a way to destroy the Carthaginian elephants. In its turn,

Scale armor Since archaic times, scale armor has been used, in which leather scales are attached to a woven or soft leather base. During the first Han Dynasty (179 BC - 23 AD), copper and bronze flakes came into use. Although at this time

Belt armor M. Chavannes writes that “at the court of the Qing emperors (1115–1234) in Beijing, all the guards were dressed in armor. The guards on the left wore blue ribbon cuirasses (qing dao ka), held yellow flags with images of yellow dragons. Those that

Paper armor It is believed that paper armor was invented in the Tang period by a certain Shang Suiding. They were then used to protect ordinary people, but during the Song Dynasty they were officially recognized as a cheap but practical form of protection. In 1040 the command of the troops,

Yellow skin tablet Returning home, Nina Elistratovna found out that Yuri, together with Murat and Leva Akimov, went to the city. The son left a note on the table, it ended with the words: “We will come late from the hunt. Don't worry." It's easy to say don't worry when it's almost eight, and with

The appearance of the first armor occurred long before the advent of military affairs, war as such, and therefore soldiers and armies. Stone Age people first learned how to make simple armor from animal skins. Armor is often associated with something metallic, but leather and cloth were a much more common material for making them. The skins became the prototype of the first leather and fabric armor. The skin protected the first people during the hunt. Of course, such armor could not save from serious wounds, because in order to give strength, the skin had to be processed, and such technologies would appear only millennia later. Yes, and battle armor was useless, then the tools were extremely simple, and skirmishes with their own kind were rare.

antique armor

The period of the first civilizations marked the beginning of the era of wars between states and the emergence of the army as an organization. People learned how to process fabric, metal, leather, so in this era there were opportunities to create armor that gave real protection. Leather armor, as well as fabric armor, became the first on the way to a knight in armor. They learned how to process metal a very long time ago, but truly strong armor appeared only in the late Middle Ages, so fabric and leather remained in the foreground for a long time.

Egyptian armor

Ancient Egypt did not differ much in climate from modern Egypt, which left its mark on what kind of armor the Egyptians used. Due to the unbearable heat and the relative high cost of making even cloth armor, ordinary soldiers almost never wore armor. They used a shield and wore traditional Egyptian wigs, which were made of hard leather and often had a wooden base. It was a kind of helmet that could soften the blow of a weapon popular at that time - maces or clubs. Bronze axes were quite rare weapons, let alone swords. This was affordable only for persons close to the Pharaoh. The same can be said about armor, even from cloth and leather. For many years of excavation, almost no metal shell was found, which indicates the high cost of its production and, possibly, low efficiency. calling card Egyptian army, and many armies of that period, of course, there were chariots, so all noble, well-trained wars fought on horseback. They mainly acted as mobile cavalry and archery. This kind of action required considerable skill, in connection with which the warriors on chariots necessarily wore cloth or leather armor, because the loss of such a skilled soldier was not cheap. Not to mention the fact that they were often noble people.

Armor of Greece

Ancient Greece can rightfully be considered a kind of birthplace of armor, in the sense in which we know them. Hoplites are Greek heavy infantry. The light infantry was called peltasts. Their names come from the types of shields they used: hoplon and pelt, respectively. A warrior in armor in those days was no less terrible than knights dressed in full armor, racing on a horse. The best armies of the Greek policies consisted of wealthy citizens, because in order to become a member of the phalanx (a system of heavily armed infantrymen), you had to buy your own equipment, and it cost big money. The main means of protection, of course, was a large round shield - a hoplon, which weighed about 8 kg and protected the body from the neck to the knees. Thanks to this formation, the hoplite, by and large, did not need to protect the body, because the phalanx assumed that the body would always be behind the shield. Despite the fact that in these times the processing of bronze reached a very high level, bronze armor was not as popular as fabric armor.

Linnothorax - battle armor made of several layers of dense fabric, most often used by hoplites, as well as light infantry and cavalry. The armor did not hinder movement, and was a pleasant relief for an already bronzed soldier. The bronze version of the armor was called the hippothorax, and we often see it in anatomical form. Just like bracers and greaves, made as if tightly fitting the muscles of a soldier. The scales never took hold in Greece as the main type of armor, which could not be said about their eastern neighbors.

In addition to the shield, the famous attribute of the Greek hoplite was the helmet. The Corinthian helmet can be considered the most recognizable. It is a fully enclosed helmet with cutouts for the eyes and mouth, in a T-shape. The helmet was often decorated with horse hair, the decorations resembled a mohawk. There were two original prototypes in the history of the Greek helmet. The Illyrian helmet had an open face and no nose protection, and it also had cutouts for the ears. The helmet did not provide such protection as the Corinthian, but it was much more comfortable in it, not to mention a better view. Subsequently, the Corinthian helmet evolves into a similarity to the Illyrian, but for most of its history it will remain closed from all sides.

Roman armor

The Roman army is a kind of continuation and development of the ideas of the phalanx. At this time, the Iron Age begins. Combat armor of bronze and fabric is replaced by iron, Roman legions adapt to modern materials. The use of the sword in the Bronze Age was ineffective, since it was necessary to come close to the enemy and break the formation. Even great swords bronze age were very short and fragile. The spear was the weapon of the hoplite and many armies of this time. In the Iron Age, the sword becomes more durable and longer, there is a need for armor that could effectively stop slashing blows. So the heavy armor of the hoplite is replaced by chain mail - lorica hamata. Mail is not very effective against a spear, but can stop a slashing blow from a sword or axe. Legions often fought against tribes that had no order as such, many barbarians from the north were armed with axes, which made chain mail an excellent defense.

With the evolution of blacksmithing comes the evolution of armor. Lorica segmentata - plate armor, Roman warriors could be distinguished among many by this particular armor. This battle armor replaced chain mail, which over time became ineffective against the Germanic longswords, which became simple and cheap to manufacture, making them commonplace in tribal armies. Plates, fastened in pairs on the chest, and pestle shoulder pads gave more protection than chain mail.
The last "new thing" of the Roman army, after the birth of Christ, was lorica sqamata. Scale or lamellar armor was often used by auxiliaries. Metal plates were overlapped with leather cords or metal rods, making the armor look like scales.

Gladiator armor

Armor in the Roman era was worn not only by soldiers, but also by gladiators - slave warriors who fought in arenas for the entertainment of the public. A confirmed fact is the participation of women in battles, but they are little studied, so men's armor is better known. The gladiator's armor was unusual and sometimes not very effective, which is logical, because gladiator fights are held for the public, appearance and entertainment were in the first place. Gladiators often used helmets that were completely closed, sometimes with decorations and even with a serrated or sharpened crest, to fight against a gladiator with a net. The torso was most often open, but the use of chest plates and cuirasses was not uncommon. Very often one could see plastic or chain mail sleeves with or without a shoulder pad, they covered a hand without a shield or a hand without a weapon. Leggings often looked like Greek, sometimes made of dense fabric. One of the types of gladiators, of which there were more than a dozen, had plastic armor covering the entire body and a closed helmet.

Armor of the Early Middle Ages

The fall of the Roman Empire and the migration of peoples mark the beginning of the early Middle Ages - the starting point for the evolution of European armor. At this time, light armor is gaining popularity. In particular, quilted armor is cheap to manufacture and easy to use. Its weight was, according to various estimates, from 2 to 8 kg, the heaviest was among the Russian hemp armor, including the legs. Good protection was achieved by stitching up to thirty layers of fabric. Such armor could easily protect against arrows and slashing weapons. This type of armor was used in Europe for almost a thousand extra years, as in Rus', which is not surprising, because excellent armor made of fabric could be compared in terms of protection with chain mail. Armor from the Roman era, specifically lamellar armor, was also popular during this time. It was easy to manufacture and gave the proper level of protection.

A more advanced version of cloth armor had metal plates of various sizes sewn into or over the armor. Such armor is found mainly in more prosperous soldiers.

Helmets in this era were mostly like metal hats, sometimes with a semblance of protection for the nose or face, but for the most part they protected only the head. In the post-Roman era, a fairly rapid transition to chain mail begins. German and Slavic tribes begin to wear chain mail over clothing or quilted armor. In that era, weapons and military strategy involved close combat, rarely in an organized formation, so such protection was extremely reliable, because the weak point of chain mail is precisely the confrontation with a spear. Helmets begin to "grow", covering the face more and more. They begin to put chain mail on the head, sometimes even without a helmet. The length of chain mail on the body also increases. Now the battle armor looks like a chain mail coat. The armor of the cavalryman often included mail protection for the legs.

Subsequently, for almost 600 years, the armor did not change, only the length of the chain mail increased, which in the 13th century became almost a second skin and covered the entire body. However, the quality of chain mail during this period, although superior to early chain mail, still lagged behind the quality of weapons. Mail was extremely vulnerable to spears, arrows with a special tip, mace blows and similar weapons, and even heavy swords could cause fatal injury to a warrior. And what can we say about crossbow bolts, which pierced chain mail like paper, and were extremely common in European armies. In this regard, it was only a matter of time - when there will be armor that can solve these problems. From the end of the 13th century, plate armor became widespread in Europe - the crown of blacksmithing of the Middle Ages, the most durable armor in the world. The armor was made of steel sheets, and they first covered the body, and after a short time, the arms and legs, and then completely encased the warrior in steel. Only a few points remained open in order to be able to move at all, but they subsequently began to close. This was the golden age of heavy cavalry, the sight of which caused panic in the infantry. The legendary armor of the knights, made with high quality, was practically impenetrable for the weapons of the militias. It happened that a knight who was knocked off his horse during an attack simply could not be finished off. Of course, such a set of armor could cost more than a small village with an estate, and was available only to the aristocracy and the knightly class.

Armor sunset

Heavy European medieval armor becomes a relic of history with the widespread introduction of firearms and artillery. The first samples of firearms were extremely unreliable, the effectiveness was tens of meters, they had to be reloaded before the second coming, so heavy armor did not immediately leave the stage of the theater of war. However, already in the Renaissance, plate armor could only be seen at ceremonies and coronations. The cuirass is replacing the plate armor. Chest armor of a new design allowed bullets and long pikes to ricochet off the armor, for this a so-called rib was created on the cuirass, in fact the armor seemed to stretch forward and create an angle that should have contributed to the chance of a ricochet. With the advent of more modern species guns at the end of the 17th century, the cuirass completely lost its meaning.

Also, the 18th century was marked by the transition to regular armies, which were maintained by the states. Since armor at a reasonable price was not adequate, they were abandoned altogether. However, the need for heavy cavalry did not go anywhere, and good quality cuirasses still provided acceptable protection. Now only cavalrymen wear combat armor on the battlefield - cuirassiers, heavy cavalry of a new generation. Their armor made it possible to feel calm at a distance of 100 meters from the enemy troops, which could not be said about ordinary infantrymen, who began to “crumble” already at a distance of 150-160 meters.
Further changes in weapons and military doctrine finally put the armor out of action. The warriors of the new time were already marching without the use of armor.

Armor in Rus'

Before the arrival of the Mongols, Russian armor evolved in much the same way as in Europe. Chainmail armor remained the main defense of the Russian war, until the advent of small arms. As in China, the era of knights and heavy armored cavalry never arrived. The Russian warrior always had to remain mobile and "light". In this regard, medium armor looked like a more reasonable choice in the fight against nomadic armies based on mobility and horse archers, so Russian armor never switched to armor. The horseman's armor could be heavier, but still remained in the middle category. So, in addition to standard chain mail, combat armor in Rus' took the form of scales, chain mail with metal plates, as well as mirror armor. Such armor was worn over chain mail and was a metal plate - a mirror, creating a kind of cuirass.

Japanese armor

A Japanese warrior in armor, called a samurai, is known to everyone. His weapons and armor have always been very prominent in the "crowd" of medieval armor and chain mail. As in other regions, samurai did not use armor. Classical samurai armor was mostly lamellar, but chest plates and cuirasses were also used. Various parts of the armor could be made in "mail tones". Japanese chain mail differed from European not only in appearance, but also in finer weaving. Classical Japanese armor consisted of:

• a helmet that completely covered the head and often the face, usually it was covered with a frightening mask, the helmet often had horns;
• lamellar armor, sometimes reinforced with a plate, like a mirror or with a cuirass on top;
• leggings and bracers, metal or lamellar, under them there could be chain mail mittens and shoes;
• shoulder armor, were made of different materials, but their interesting feature was comfortable to wear for archers. In Europe, the archer never wore pauldrons, because they greatly interfered with shooting, while in Japan, the pauldron seemed to slide back when the bowstring was pulled and returned when the samurai fired.

Such armor, as in the case of knights, was an indicator of status and wealth. Ordinary soldiers used simpler armor, sometimes chain mail or a mixture.

modern armor

Armor has evolved along with weapons. As soon as protection appeared, a weapon appeared immediately that could overcome it. And although weapons are often more perfect in this race, the creators of armor do not lag behind, and sometimes come out ahead, albeit not for long.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

Weapons and military equipment of bygone days sometimes look very strange and even frightening. Sometimes this is due to the need for a deterrent factor or the improvement of any characteristics provided by a similar form of weapon or armor, and sometimes there are simply no explanations for such things. The strangest types of weapons and armor are waiting for you next.

Hedgehog Helmet

If you are a member of a warlike tribe that lives on an island in the middle Pacific Ocean, then there is no better material for a helmet than the skin of a hedgehog fish. The warriors of the island nation of Kiribati have used hedgehog fish in this capacity since time immemorial.

The manufacture of the helmet was fraught with great danger - the skin and insides of this fish are saturated with poison, which is 1200 times stronger than cyanide. To make a helmet, it was necessary to catch a swollen hedgehog fish (fish of this species, at the moment of danger, take in water and swell up to a ball) and bury it in the sand. A week later, a skeleton was obtained, which was strengthened with the help of coke nut shells. In those conditions, this served as an excellent defense against the sword of shark teeth (the main weapon of the Pacific tribes).

Stingray skin armor

The Kiribati tribe may have used Natural resources to the maximum. This is proved not only by helmets, but also by armor made from stingray skin. They were made from two pieces of leather sewn together with threads of human hair and sewn to two sticks. A double cord of coconut fibers was intended to tighten the elastic armor tighter. The armor was worn over a coconut fiber cuirass. It was also used to make thick overlays for arms and legs. All together with a helmet made of hedgehog fish made up a complete set of uniforms for a Kiribati fighter. However, not only armor could be made from a stingray. The islanders made daggers from his tail, which they hid in the thatched roof of their houses in case of self-defense.

Sawfish skull sword

This 1698 sword is made from the rostrum, the front part of the skull of a sawfish, and belonged to Maximilian II, Elector of Bavaria. Another similar artifact is stored in the German Historical Museum, its dimensions are more modest: the length of the blade is 114.5 cm versus 148 cm for the first one.

The material for the blade came to Europe, most likely as a result of trade with the countries of the Indian Ocean, through the East or West India Company.

The purpose of the sword is purely ceremonial: in combat against a warrior in armor, it is useless.

Horned helmet Henry VIII

The helmet, along with the armor (which is now lost), was presented to the young King of England Henry VIII by the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I in 1514, and made by the leading gunsmith of the time, Conrad Seusenhofer.

The helmet is made in the form of a human face and is extremely detailed: you can see the eyebrows, stubble and even wrinkles that show through when the grimace is made. The master did not even forget such a detail as glasses - they are believed to have been made to intimidate the enemy (however, in this armor, intended for ceremonial exits and tournaments, the king never went to battle). It was even possible to change the "facial expression" of the helmet - for this, special locks are provided along the edges of the plate. Unfortunately, interchangeable masks also did not survive.

After the death of Henry VIII, for some time the helmet belonged to his jester William Somers. Because of the most noticeable and unusual detail of the helmet - the horns - it is believed that the helmet was originally made for him. But this hypothesis has not been confirmed. It is currently kept at the Royal Arsenal in Leeds.

Wings of the Polish Hussars

Polish hussars appeared in the 16th century and glorified themselves in battles with the Tatar khanates, the Ottomans, the Swedes and the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Glory came to them not only thanks to the victories won, but also appearance- wings fluttered behind their backs during the attack, instilling fear in the enemy. Where did such a bulky and uncomfortable piece of uniform come from?

The answer must be sought from the main enemy European states that time - the Turks. Ottoman Empire successfully used in battles "Deli" - brave to the point of madness warriors, dressed instead of armor in the skins of wild animals and adorning themselves with the wings of birds of prey. This practice was adopted by some detachments of Serbia and Hungary - the states that fought with them in the first place. Feathers of birds began to decorate their helmets and shields. In 1500, Serbian detachments went to the service of the Polish king Alexander Jagiellon. Soon, Polish companies of hussars began to form on their model. The first reports of the use of warriors dressed in the skins of predators appear in the middle of the century. Feathers (eagles, cranes or ostriches) are also mentioned - in the form of wings already familiar to us.

The question remains - how could they be used on the battlefield? One of the most popular hypotheses is that the sound made by the wings of a hussar at full gallop frightened enemy horses. But it was refuted in reality - in May 1998, during the filming of the film "With Fire and Sword", several takes of the hussars' attack were made. The wings didn't make a sound. Another assumption is that the wings were a protection against the lasso used by the Tatars, but it does not stand up to serious reflection. Most likely, the effect of using hussar wings is purely psychological.

Armor of the First World War

Despite the fact that the first World War was a conflict that gave rise to completely new types of weapons (poison gases) and entire branches of the military (aviation, submarines, tanks), it brought to life some long-forgotten attributes of medieval warriors, namely armor and chain mail.

At the beginning of the war, the armies of the opposing sides, especially on Western front, found themselves in an unsolvable situation. Both sides were equally strong and, having met in the first battles and not achieving decisive success, dug in opposite each other along the entire front line, bristling with barbed wire barriers. The confrontation went down in history as a "positional impasse".

To get out of the impasse, it was proposed various solutions. One of the most effective (and famous) is the assault squads (the direct ancestor of modern special forces), first formed in the German army in 1915. They were supposed to go on the attack first and, under a hail of bullets, cut the enemy's barbed wire to clear the way for the rest. To protect against bullets, the soldiers of the detachments were given steel body armor, very similar to medieval armor. The chain mail was also not forgotten - it was used by tankers, attached to a helmet.

For the first time in that war, snipers also appeared. To confront the well-aimed arrows of the enemy, they also needed armor. Some samples - for example, the Brewster armor, developed in 1917 - also resembled the armor of medieval warriors.

The works of ancient masters can be repeated and you can make your own leather armor, similar to the Scythian. First you need to prepare some skin. Old leather clothes or second-hand jackets - whatever option is convenient for you. We boil the prepared skin at 90 degrees, wring it out, dry it.

We select the two largest pieces and cut out the outline of the vest. The length of leather armor can be arbitrary. On the front half, we make the neckline deeper, and lengthen the sides by gluing layer by layer the rest of the leather pieces that are left of the product so that they go behind the back. Not bad if the last layer is from a single piece. The number of layers can be anything, although 3-4 is enough. Then, from the inside, we rivet metal plates about 5x10 cm in size from 0.8 to 1 mm thick to the leather base.

We fasten the plates with four rivets, one in each corner. After that, we sew another layer of skin from the inside. You can use not as thick and durable as the outer one. We do it this way. With a large awl, we pierce the seam holes in the skin, first along the edges, and then with some pattern the entire area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe plates. We sew both layers of skin with a thick and strong thread. On the front half on the sides we sew at least three fastening belts with reliable locks on each side, on the back - in the middle - buckles for fastening them.

Several metal plates can also be riveted onto finished leather armor (Fig. 1). Best of all, three or four rows of not very long plates with a width of 5 to 10 cm. We fasten them to the base with two rivets at the upper corners of the plate for greater mobility. The distance between the plates of one row should not exceed 1.5 cm, and the distance between two vertical rows should not exceed 3-4 cm. You can also make such an armor option when the fastening straps connect the front and back on the sides. Then these parts should overlap each other. If there are no large whole pieces of skin, we make the front and back parts composite - from four pieces (Fig. 2).

Rice. 1. Leather armor (front view).

Cuirass-type leather armor

The cuirass-type leather armor used by the poorest warriors were simple leather sleeveless jackets or double-breasted leather jackets made of thick rawhide. The upper floor went beyond the lower one, connected to it by straps.

The edges of the cuts and shoulders were sheathed with braid, forming a roller. The ends of the belts were supplied with vorvarks.

Rice. 2. Leather armor (back view).

Type of shells

The second type of shells had a leather base, reinforced with metal plates. Sometimes such shells consisted of a breastplate and a backplate, connected at the sides. In front of them there was a longitudinal section. A pair of oblong gilded iron plates was placed on the chest, in the center of each there were two relief concentric circles.

Along the edge of a rounded cutout, a narrow iron arcuate plate was sewn, consisting of two halves and decorated with riveted bronze triangular plaques.

Often, 1-2 plates were sewn onto such shells to protect the upper chest and neck.

For example, on a leather shirt with a side slit in the upper part there was a wide crescent plate (21x13.5 cm). The edges of the upper cutout were bent outward, forming a 0.5 cm high side; for attaching to the shell with a leather cord. Sometimes the shells were supplemented with bronze funnel-shaped plaques 3.5 cm in diameter with a small round hole in the center.

They were fastened to the shell with rivets with wide caps. But most often used shells, reinforced with a plate set. Such a shell had a breast-back part in the form of a rectangular panel with even side edges, two opposite cutouts (a large one on top, a smaller one on the bottom). There was a small rounded neckline at the top. The shell was cut in the form of a jacket with a slit on the right side, slits and ties on the shoulders. On the left side there was an armhole for free movement of the legs when riding.

The basis was leather or thick fabric. Most often it was the skin of cattle from the upper dorsal part, treated with natural tanning agents. Leather strips 1–3 cm wide were sewn on the base in a horizontal position, with an interval of 1 cm. A set was attached to the strips. Sometimes leather plates of the same shape and size as the plates of the set were sewn onto the leather base, and a metal plaque was attached to each leather plate. Iron, bronze and bone were used to make the plates of the set.

The shape and dimensions of the inserts are independent of the material

According to their form, they are divided into three main types. 1. Oblong and rounded lower. The absolute majority of shells consists of such a set, starting from the end of the 7th - beginning of the 6th century. BC. 2. Plates with a rectangular or near-rectangular top edge, pointed bottom edge. 3. Rectangular oblong plates. Their feature is a cut off upper corner. Shells with such a set were used in the 5th-3rd centuries. BC.

The sizes of the plates of armor sets are extremely diverse.

17 main sizes of scales have been established. Their length varied from 6.2 to 1.7 cm, width - from 2.6 to 0.7 cm. Even plates having the same length (2.2 cm) were of different widths (1.7, 1.2, 1 cm). Thin leather straps or strands were used to fasten the set to the base. Two methods were used to set the plates - right and left (the right edge of one plate covered the left edge of the other; the second way - vice versa).

The hem of the shell was recruited from plates of two types: massive oblong, with slightly rounded lower corners (in addition to the main ones, one or two additional holes were made along one of the edges) and narrow, long, strongly curved, having an S-shaped profile. The set of sleeves consisted either of the same plates as the set of shells, or of narrow long, arc-curved plates (dimensions - 8x1 cm, 5.7x18 cm), three holes were punched along the long edges.

There were three types of shells with a plate set

Bibs - a short shirt with a low collar, complemented by a wide combat belt, only the chest was covered with a set. Shells with long sleeves - a shirt with long sleeves and a low collar. A set - on all area. Armor with a shoulder - a long sleeveless shirt made of thick leather was worn over clothes with long sleeves. On the back there was a deep rounded neckline separating the shoulder parts, which formed long shoulders, sheathed at the edges with leather braid.

A cutout was placed in the corners of the shoulders. Four rows of plates, seven in each, were sewn along the edge on a leather base. At the level of the lower row of shoulders, metal rings were sewn to the shell, which were attached to the shell with the help of laces through the rings of the shoulder. Cuirasses are the last type of Scythian shells. These are shells of two forged plates (chest and dorsal). Most often they were made of bronze sheets with a leather lining. The thickness of the sheet is up to 0.1 cm. Metal strips were usually attached to the lower part, replacing the combat belt.

Greek Leggings

Sometimes the Scythians used Greek leggings, or knemids - metal shields covering the legs from ankles to knees. The earliest Scythian knemids date back to the middle of the 5th century BC. BC, however, later samples do not differ from the early ones. All leggings are divided into two knemids from one plate, greaves, assembled from separate metal plates. An example of typical Scythian leggings is the armor from the Kekuvat kurgan. They are made of golden bronze, their surface is carefully polished.

On the surface of the knemids, the knees and the powerful muscles of the lower leg are embossed. A relief rib runs along it, giving the armor additional rigidity. The lower edge is slightly thickened and bent outwards. Three shallow parallel lines are drawn along the perimeter and small holes are punched to secure the lining. A number of similar holes are made below the knee part of the armor. Probably, the latter were intended for attaching a soft pad that protected the knee from metal damage to the armor. The sharp edges of the holes punched from the inside are carefully smoothed.

The total height of the leggings is 41 cm. Magnificent ceremonial leggings were found in Kerch. The knee part of these knemids is decorated with a relief mask of the Gorgon Medusa. Relief-shaped long muscles end at the knee with snake heads. On the sides of the leggings are decorated with rosettes and volutes. Their lower edge is slightly bent outwards. Small holes are punched along the edge for attaching the lining. The same openings are available below the knee. Leg height - 47 cm, weight - 0.4 kg.

Two methods were used to attach leggings to the leg.

Paired holes were punched in the upper and lower corners, through which thin straps of strings passed; - leather laces tied around the legs.

Solid bronze gaiters did not find any use in the Northern Black Sea region at all. They were successfully replaced by stacked gaiters. The original armor, which combined both legguards and greaves, was leather pants covered with a metal set.

Combat belts

An indispensable attribute of the Scythian warrior from the VI centuries. BC. steel combat belts - narrow harness and wide protective. However, the oldest belts have been known since the 7th-6th centuries. BC The first type of combat belts are belt-belts, used to carry a sword, lit, an ax, a bowl, a whetstone. Within this type, three groups are distinguished: leather, with a lamellar set, covered with figured plaques.

The second type of combat belts - protective, consisting of three parts.

Upper, middle and lower. Upper part: 3 rows of small plates measuring 3x2 cm, the first 2 rows consist of scales fixed on the base with straps passing through 3 holes located at the top. In the third row there are plates of the same shape, but the holes in them are punched in two rows at the top and bottom of the part.

Lower part: 3 rows of plates, similar to those of the upper part. The total length of the belt is 106cm, width is 17cm. The base is made of thick leather. Its upper edge is bent outward and goes onto the plates of the upper row so much that it closes the holes in their upper part. At the ends of the belt, the base belt protrudes somewhat from under the plates; thick leather laces are sewn on it in the middle and at the upper edge - belt ties.

Scythian shields

Scythian shields were made of wood, rods, leather and metal coating. There are two main types of Scythian shields: - wooden and wicker; - with a metal coating - a solid plate and with a shell set. Wooden shields are oval, slightly widening at the top. They were painted red. Probably, such shields were covered with thick skin. Wicker shields are known to us only from images on household items. They were made of reed or willow, edged with leather.

Shields with a solid metal coating had a wooden base, on top of which a solid bronze or iron plate was strengthened.

Such shields were round in shape, their diameter was about 70-80 cm. The armored cover of the shields is divided into two varieties: lamellar and striped. Shields of the first type usually had an oval or bean-shaped shape, a relief roller ran along their edge. The shell covering consisted of 10 rows of a set. In the lower part there were usually two vertical bronze cylinders, from below they included two curved rods used to fasten the shield to the body of the warrior.

The scaly coating consisted of oblong, oval, concave plates, similar to the shell set. The plates were rigidly connected with wire. Overall size such shields - 125x70cm with the size of the plates 4x1.7cm and 4x2.5 cm. For wearing various kinds shields, various methods were used. So, shields with solid bronze plates were held on belt loops and handles, shields of foot soldiers had two leather handles, shields with a set could be mounted directly on the body of a warrior.

Option 1: By courier (only Moscow)

Delivery by courier is made within the Moscow Ring Road

Cost of delivery: 500 R

Option 2: Russian Post

The most cost effective delivery method

Option 3:EMS

Reliable shipping method. But the price is 70-100% more than that of the Russian Post.

Cost of delivery: 700 R

Option 4: Pickup from the store at 2nd Vyazovsky proezd, 10

You can drive up to our store, look, choose, feel and try on the goods you are interested in..​

Cost of delivery: 0 R

Option 5: Transport company CDEK

The transport company "SDEK" has the largest number of terminals throughout Russia.
Almost every regional, district center and even smaller cities and towns have terminals of this company.

Cost of delivery: 700 R

Option 6: Transport Company "Business Lines"

The transport company "Business Lines" has a very large number of terminals throughout Russia.
Almost every regional or district center has a terminal of this company.

The average price of delivery in Russia to the terminal closest to you is 700 rubles. Further, if you need delivery to the address + 400 rubles

Upon delivery by a transport company, cash on delivery is not possible. All shipments are made upon payment of the order.

Payment for delivery can be made upon receipt of the goods.

Cost of delivery: 700 R

Option 7: Transport Company "Energy"

Transport company "Energia" has a sufficient number of terminals throughout Russia.
Almost every regional or district center has a terminal of this company.

The average price of delivery in Russia to the terminal closest to you is 700 rubles. Further, if you need delivery to the address + 400 rubles

Upon delivery by a transport company, cash on delivery is not possible. All shipments are made upon payment of the order.

Payment for delivery can be made upon receipt of the goods.

Cost of delivery: 700 R