The most amazing artifacts in history are the armor that ancient warriors wore during battle. Without having the technology now we have today, it’s amazing to see such intricate and unique works which have survived to today, although they were battle-ravaged and suffered many blows of their time.
The skillful hands of a blacksmith are what warriors and knights should be thankful for. Without them, they might rush to certain death.
However, our concept and idea of what battle armor was in precedent days is proscribed to the clumsy modern interpretation of medieval European armor; those stuff you see while standing at the hours of darkness halls of horror movies or some creepy old man's dusty library.
But the traditional world is made up of many countries in several countries, and every country has a singular culture that’s enhanced by the garments they wear, the food they eat, and even the garments they placed on in times of war.
Bronze helmet (Greece)
The ancient Greeks are a talented civilization that gave us many things, from astronomy to democracy. However, although we expect of them as scholars and politicians, the Greeks were also fierce warriors and had one of the vital organized armies in the traditional world.
The closest kind of armor we all know is what we've seen in movies like Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans. While there could also be similarities between them and their historical inspirations, we’re only scratching the surface of what we learn about Greek battle armor.
In 2007, a particular piece of armor appeared deepened from Haifa Bay in Israel. It was a Greek helmet manufactured from bronze and decorated with gold leaves; images of snakes, lions and a peacock palmette also complement the design of this interesting find.
How it ended up at the underside of the bay remains to be a mystery to researchers. However, it didn’t consider the indisputable fact that traveling warriors for some reason lose a few of their belongings, resembling weapons, trinkets and items of clothing.
Archaeologists consider the helmet belonged to a wealthy Greek mercenary who can have taken part within the series of wars that devastated the world, and dates back to 2,600 years ago. Experts also hypothesize that the unknown mercenary who owned the helmet can have fought for an Egyptian pharaoh named Necho II.
Further examination of the helmet also revealed that it had similarities to a different helmet present in the Fifties near the island of Giglio, Italy.
“The gilding and figurative decorations make it one of the most ornate pieces of Greek armor discovered,” described Jacob Sharvit, director of the Maritime Archeology Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Plant Armor (Oceania and Micronesia)
When we speak about armor, we expect of heavy, shiny metal that’s twice – or thrice – the burden of the typical warrior. We imagine incredibly hot forges where blacksmiths smash pieces of sheet metal and sheet metal.
However, within the distant coastal regions of Micronesia and Oceania, locals found an unlikely but highly effective material for making plant armor.
Although the Greeks are also known for crafting protective armor from plant materials, it was the soldiers of the Kiribati Islands who perfected their craftsmanship. For the inhabitants of this Pacific region, the armor and weapons they produced were products of available material on which they might feed, resembling palm fronds, tree bark, and even animal parts. When the battles began, combining different materials from land and sea proved to be life-saving tools.
An example of one of these armor is constructed from coir, a very strong fibrous material harvested from coconut trees. Woven together and tightly, it creates an impermeable layer that protects the body of the person wearing it. Moreover, like every combat armor, plant armor consists of several parts that protect almost every a part of the warrior's body – sometimes it even seems that the Kiribati warrior is best protected than his enemies.
Typical Pacific and Oceanian armor, covered from head to toe, consists of a thick woven coir coat and trousers, a thicker woven vest, a woven back piece, and a helmet that will likely be constructed from dried porcupine fish carcasses.
The entire armor is alleged to have the ability to face up to projectiles resembling arrows and spears, in addition to with the ability to parry edged weapons in close combat.
Skin and Bones (Siberia)
In September 2014, a team of archaeologists from Russia discovered one of the vital mysterious pieces of armor on this planet. Made entirely of bone, archaeologists consider it belonged to a 4,000-year-old Siberian knight.
What was much more astonishing in regards to the discovery was that it was present in almost perfect condition.
The armor buried near Omsk in Siberia is alleged to have consisted of several plates of varied sizes, adapted to the anatomy of the wearer, all manufactured from bones woven together. Suspecting that the bones got here from large animals resembling a deer or a horse, research remains to be ongoing to find out the precise age of the bone armor, although researchers consider it most certainly dates back to the Bronze Age.
However, what was quite puzzling about this unusual find was that it was found buried individually and never next to the body. Because the armor itself was of great value throughout the Bronze Age, great care was taken to maintain it in excellent condition, and far care and maintenance was required to forestall it from deteriorating. The bone armor present in Omsk due to this fact suggests that it was buried as a type of sacrifice.
According to Yuri Gerasimov, a researcher on the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography in Omsk, the bone armor most certainly belonged to an elite soldier or warrior. This would have given him “good protection against the weapons then in use – bone and stone arrowheads, bronze knives, bronze-tipped spears, and bronze axes.”
Another inconsistency found regarding the bone armor was that it differed from the sort of combat clothing worn on this region of Siberia. Experts say its design was far more paying homage to the culture of a tribe originating from the Altai Mountains, a region about 1,000 km away from where the bone armor was found. This led the research team to hypothesize that the bone armor may additionally be a war trophy or a present from one culture to a different.
Tatami Gusoku (Japan)
Metal is one of the vital common and practical materials used to make armor. Its hardness is very valued for safeguarding the user's body from attacks.
However, despite skillful design, some armor can still be bulky and difficult to move when battles are fought overseas. However, in ancient Japan, armor was crafted with the identical discipline with which legendary swords are crafted.
We know that the Japanese are a disciplined breed that strives for beauty and perfection in every part they do, from pouring tea to pruning branches. The same discipline was also perfected with their one-of-a-kind armor.
Called Tatami Gusoku, it might be roughly translated as “to lay down the armor” or “to lay down the armor”. This is because these unique elements are made in such a way that they fit right into a small box, making them easier for individual soldiers to move.
The armor consists mainly of an armored jacket, a foldable cuirass, in addition to a helmet and a hood protecting the pinnacle. It had parts corresponding to traditional Japanese full armor, those we’re more accustomed to from movies and popular culture.
Tatami Gusoku is constructed by binding each protective plate with chain mail, which snaps together to form a shirt-like garment. Sensitive body parts resembling the chest had larger metal plates tied with these chains.
Additionally, the unique design and material of this armor makes it much lighter than its contemporaries and allows warriors a good wider range of movement because they aren’t hampered by particularly large and heavy pieces of metal in places where they should be agile.
Horned helmet (England)
Designed and crafted by Austrian goldsmith Konrad Seusenhofer, the Horned Helmet was originally a part of a complete armor gifted by the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I to Henry VIII within the sixteenth century.
The horned helmet is nothing recent on this planet of combat armor. Technically, it was not a helmet, but a “cannon”; a headgear worn by soldiers to guard his head and whole face during combat.
First introduced within the fifteenth century, the weapon was more popular and more widely utilized in areas of Italy, England, France and parts of Spain. But for this list, let's persist with the name of this helmet.
This particular helmet jumps to the highest of our list due to its… “unique”… look. Designed to completely cover the wearer's face, the Horned Helm resembles the face of a smiling demon with sharp teeth. On its head were a pair of metal horns twisted outwards. Another peculiar feature of the helmet was a pair of metal glasses perched on a pointed nose.
Rumor has it that these glasses had a functional purpose, as Henry VIII was supposedly short-sighted and had a set of glasses discovered after his death.
It was also rumored that the helmet belonged to Henry's court jester, Will Somers, when it was discovered centuries later.
The whereabouts of the remainder of the armor couldn’t be determined and it’s assumed that it was destroyed or scrapped through the years. Fortunately, due to its grotesque appearance, the helmet was saved from destruction and is now in the gathering of the Royal Armory in Leeds.
Although many armor and helmets were utilized in battle, this helmet and his now ruined suit were mainly utilized by Henry VIII in ceremonies and parades.
Image Source: Pixabay.com
