Scale armour

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Examples of early armour construction. The top two sections are examples of scale armour.
Examples of early armour construction. The top two sections are examples of scale armour.
Dacian scale armour on Trajan's column.
Dacian scale armour on Trajan's column.
Coat covered with the gold decorated scales of the pangolin. India, Rajasthan, early 19th Century.
Coat covered with the gold decorated scales of the pangolin. India, Rajasthan, early 19th Century.

Scale armour (armor), Lorica squamata. Jazerant, Jazeraint or Leaf Mail (sometimes erroneously called scale mail) consists of many small scales attached to a backing material of either leather or cloth. It is similar to lamellar armour but distinguished by the presence of the backing material.

The material used to make the scales varied and included: bronze, iron, rawhide, leather, cuir bouilli and horn. The variations are primarily the result of material availability.

During Roman times scale armour (lorica squamata) was a popular alternative to mail (lorica hamata) as it offered better protection, especially against blunt damage. It was also widely used in Middle Eastern empires such as Persia and Byzantium. In these areas scales were commonly dished (an armouring term used to describe hammering a depression into a flat piece of metal in order to create a 'bowl' effect) in order to benefit from the extra protection offered by a rounded scale.

According to the statement of Herodotus, the ancient Persians wore tunics with sleeves of diverse colours, having upon them iron scales of the shape of fish-scales; and this comparison leaves no doubt that scale armour, and not chain mail, is meant.[1]

Scale armour offers better protection from blunt attacks than mail. It is also cheaper to produce[citation needed], but it is not as flexible and does not offer the same amount of coverage. Forms other than brigandine and coat of plates were uncommon in medieval Europe, but scale and lamellar remained popular elsewhere.

Modern forms of scale armour are sometimes worn for decorative or LARP purposes, and may be made from materials such as steel, aluminium, or even titanium.

A new take on this type of armour is the Dragon Skin body armor which uses modern fabric and high-impact resistant ceramic plates to protect against modern ammunition.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Berthold Laufer (1914), Chinese Clay Figures, pp. 239, <http://books.google.com/books?id=TH0LAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA237&dq=%22ring+mail%22#PPA239,M1>  OCLC 2301581

[edit] See also

  • Lorica plumata with scales attached to a backing of mail
  • Lamellar armour which consists of scales laced together such as the klibanion
  • A brigandine which consists of scales riveted inside a backing of leather or cloth.
  • A coat of plates which consists of larger plates riveted onto a backing of leather or cloth.
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