Basics of Armour

Types of armour generally fall into one of three main categories: (1) armour made of leather, fabric, or mixed layers of both, sometimes reinforced by quilting or felt, (2) mail, made of interwoven rings of iron or steel, and (3) rigid armour made of metal, horn, wood, plastic, or some other similar tough and resistant material. The third category includes the plate armour that protected the knights of Europe in the Middle Ages. That armour was composed of large steel or iron plates that were linked by loosely closed rivets and by internal leathers to allow the wearer maximum freedom of movement.

Presumably, the use of armour extends back beyond historical records, when primitive warriors protected themselves with leather hides and helmets. In the 11th century bce, Chinese warriors wore armour made of five to seven layers of rhinoceros skin, and ox hides were similarly used by the Mongols in the 13th century ce. Fabric armour too has a long history, with thick, multilayered linen cuirasses (armour covering the body from neck to waist) worn by the Greek heavy infantry of the 5th century bce and quilted linen coats worn in northern India until the 19th century.