Throughout the history of man there has been one constant, war. Since man has been able to pick up a rock or a stick to hunt or fight, there has also been the idea of how to protect ones’ self. Man developed armour to do just that. Let’s go through history and see how it has changed, and why it has evolved to fit the needs of today.

Let’s begin with the very definition of armour. The New American Webster Handy College Dictionary 3RD Edition, States on page 46, that armour is,” any covering worn for protection against offensive weapons”, or, “ anything that protects.” This means that as weapons have changed and become more deadly throughout the ages, the needs for different types of armour have also changed because of this.

In the early ages of man it is believed that armour started out as nothing more than thick hides of leather draped over the body. This protected him from the weather, and from animals while hunting, and other warring tribes. Leather armour was developed in different ways throughout the world. In Eurasia the most common way to make leather armour was by using thick hardened scales of leather that overlapped which were tied together using rawhide. Usually the armour was painted and decorated with bone beads, gold, copper, and bronze. This is also known as scale armour. The oldest preserved form of this can be found in, Arms and Armor notable acquisitions 1991-2002, page 42. In Spain and Europe towards the end of the twelfth century leather armour known as, “cuir-bouilli”, appeared on both man and horse. “For cuir-bouilli the hide of the animal was cut thick, boiled in oil or in water, and, when soft, moulded to the required shape. When cold it became exceedingly hard and would withstand nearly as much battle-wear as metal” (Charles Ffoulkes).

Leather was good protection but it had its flaws, such as taking the actual force from the hit of a sword. The person wearing leather armor would often end up with broken bones when struck. Leather would also rot if not taken care of properly. Armorers began reinforcing the leather with metal such as bronze and iron. Eventually the armour was made completely of metal. Such is the case in Greece dating back to 4000 B.C. Bronze was a favored metal because it was soft and easy to work, and it offered more protection than leather. “In 1960, the rock cut tomb of a warrior was discovered in Midea, (present day Dendra), south of Mycenae, in Greece“( Savage –Hall). Found within the tomb was an almost complete plate armour, made from large plates of beaten bronze. This armour, made up of fifteen individual pieces, contains the earliest known bronze cuirass. It was probably worn by a chariot warrior who didn’t fight with a shield. From 1000 B.C. to 300 B.C., Greek armies were armed with iron tipped spears and short swords (also known as the spatha). They wore bronze body armour which consisted of a back plate, a breast plate, and shield (also known as a hoplon).Although bronze armour was used from about 4000 B.C. to the dark ages, (500 A.D. to 1066 A.D.), other types of metal armour were used with the bronze plate armour.

The late roman period introduced maille, which was used through the dark ages when maille became the normal form of armour worn.“Maille or chain maille was worn by virtually every race that made armour. The Chinese are about the only exceptions. They apparently never made it, but they occasionally wore maille procured from the Persians.” (Stone) Maille is made up of rings of metal linked together to form chain woven armour. There are several different patterns that were used to make chain maille, but the most common to use was six rings connected to a seventh ring with each ring riveted together. Although the maille was heavy, about 30-50 pounds, the weight of the suit was evenly distributed when worn. Maille was flexible and easy to wear. It was also very cost effective to make. Maille was very effective against bladed weapons such as swords and knifes, but it was very ineffective when it came to weapons such as arrows and spears. Plates of metal were connected to the maille to help remedy this.

“Armour of the early 14th century was not that much different from that of the late 13th century. However, as the century wore on armour construction changed radically, from being mainly maille, to mainly plate.”( Savage- Hall) Armour had evolved once again to counter the weapons development of that era. Weapons such as the long bow, cross-bow, and percussion weapons such as the mace and long sword had come into wide spread use. This is also the time period that most people think of when you mention armour. Plate armour was the most effective way to protect ones’ self from arrows and swords. Maille was still used with certain pieces to allow for movement such as the elbows and groin, but plate armour covered most of the body. The common misconception that plate armour was so heavy that the wearer had to be winched onto his horse comes from Hollywood. Plate armour would not have been used if this were the case. Usually plate armour weighed about, 60-70 pounds and the weight was distributed over the body. The bad point of full plate armour was that it did not allow heat to flow away from the body. There were several cases where men would die of heat stroke. The term in the heat of battle came from this.

It was around, 1600 when full plate armour fell out of favor. With the invention of the musket, plate armour proved to be almost useless against it. In order for the armour to be effective against the musket shots it had to be thicker and heavier. The full plate armour became three quarter plate armour and eventually became just plates to cover the vital parts of the body. When armourers made armour at this time, they usually tested it by firing a shot at point blank range at the armour. This was called proven armour. This type of armour was worn from the1600’s through the 1700’s as wars broke out all over Europe. By the late 1700’s there were very few soldiers that wore armour. Warfare in the 18th century was said to be a time of ‘lace trimmed war’. There were still a few regiments and elite groups that wore armour such as France and Prussia, these men were known as cuirassiers. They usually wore a front breast plate and head gear reinforced with iron bands.

During the American civil war and First World War the only armour employed was a vest made up of closely linked steel plates and several different types of helmets. Some prototypes for armour fell back to the same designs used in plate armour, but these were never really used. In 1915 a new type of armour was born, the gas mask and respirator. These were invented to defend against deliberately planed chemical poisoning by the Germans. “The importance of gas protection to modern armour development lies in the fact that the combat armours of the 21st century will be both a ballistic defense and a proof against chemical, biological, and radiation poisoning.” (Savage- Hall) During the Second World War, armour came to mean something entirely different. Tanks and armored vehicles were now called the armored divisions in the military, where as in history beforehand it meant people in armour fighting each other. During the 1950’s and 1960’s a new type of body armour came about, the flack-jacket. This was designed to protect soldiers from flying debris and shrapnel, but it wasn’t very effective against bullets.

In the early 1980’s, a new ballistics jacket was introduced, Rabintex. This was one of the first modern ballistic jackets to feature equipment pouches as an integral part of its design. However, it suffered a design flaw. Its weakness was in that it was secured by fasteners in the front of the body, the very area that needed the most protection. Throughout the latter half of the twentieth century vests, jackets, suits, and helmets designed to stop bullets and protect our officers and soldiers in riots and war have come full circle. Designs of today are still based on some of the earliest designs in history. Where metal plates were attached to leather to protect from spears, swords, and arrows; are now metal ceramic and plastics to stop bullets, knifes, shrapnel, and chemicals.

Ffoulks, Charles. The Armourer And His Craft From the XIth to the XVIth Century Dover Publications, Inc., New York 1988: 97

Morehead, Phillip D. The New American Webster Handy College Dictionary 3rd Edition 1995: 46

Pyhrr, Stuart W, LaRocca, Donald J. and, Ogawa, Morihiro Arms And Armor: Notable Acquisitions 1991-2002 The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, New York, Yale University Press, New Haven and London; 42

Stone, George Cameron A Glossary Of The Construction, Decoration, And Use Of Arms And Armor In All Countries And In All Times; Dover Publications, Mineola, New York 1999: 424

Woosnam- Savage, Robert and Hall, Anthony Brassey’s Book Of Body Armor Published by Brassy’s 2001; Dulles, Virginia: 24, 52, 136

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