Armor is a protective barrier—usually in the form of clothing—that is designed to protect its user from injury in combat. The use of armor has been recorded for more than 5,000 years. In that time, armor has progressed from toughened animal-hide garments, through suits of metal chain mail and plate, to garments reinforced with high-strength polymers and composite materials. The future might bring garments reinforced with biodegradable spider’s-web silk produced from the milk of genetically modified goats.
Ancient armor
The earliest records of armor date from around 3000 B.C.E. Assyrian wall carvings in northern Iraq show simple helmets, probably made of leather or bronze, with flaps to protect the ears. Around the same time, the Egyptians were using knee-length padded wraparound aprons to protect from body blows, and the Sumerians used close-fitting copper helmets. By 1400 B.C.E., Syrian soldiers had scale armor, a leather or fabric cloak covered with small overlapping plates of bronze or iron.
The ancient Greeks fashioned bronze helmets and shaped bronze plates to cover the torso and the lower legs. A handheld shield would protect the parts of the body not covered by armor. The ancient Romans used a number of combinations of armor. Some were variations on the scaled armor of Syria; others were jackets made from overlapping iron plates. In other parts of the world, notably China, armor made of multiple layers of rhinoceros or ox hides continued to be used perhaps until the 13th century C.E.
Chain mail
Chain mail is a form of fabric made by linking together small metal rings, each ring interlocking with four rings around it. The chains resisted the cutting edges of swords while padded undergarments softened the impact of blows. Flexibility was the great advantage of chain mail over previous forms of armor. The Roman legionary used chain mail as early as the third century B.C.E. During the Middle Ages, the skill of the armorer improved; before long, the entire body was protected by mail.
Early suits of armor
Although the flexibility of chain mail made it the predominant form of armor in Europe during the Middle Ages, chain mail provided little protection against penetrating weapons, which could break open the metal rings. As stronger weapons were developed to pierce the mail, extra protection was obtained by the fitting of metal plates at the most vulnerable points. The earliest evidence for these plates appears in drawings from the mid-13th century, which show chain-mail suits with reinforcing plates fitted at the knee—a difficult area to protect with chain mail and particularly vulnerable for horse riders. Improvements in crossbows in the early 14th century made chain mail largely ineffective, and suits that protected the entire body with plate armor were in use by around 1350 C.E.
Medieval armor
During the 15th century, German and Austrian armorers made suits of fully articulated armor in a Gothic style that reflected the architecture of the era. It was characterized by straight lines and edges cut in cusps and trimmed with brass. By the start of the 16th century, German armorers developed Maximilian armor, named for Emperor Maximilian I. It was a stronger and more rounded version of the Gothic style. Maximilian armor is easily recognized, since the surface of all pieces—except the lower-leg armor, or greaves—were fluted to give extra strength and good glancing surfaces. The helmet enclosed the head and was known as a close helm.
