The Armour Archive

Egfroth

Yes. Amazing stuff. A very good adjunct to the Mispronouncy Bible for c. 1250 stuff, but this one is English, and some of the things you see here appear nowhere in the Mac Bible. I particularly like the early military forks and tridents at the scene entitled "Godwin embraces Edward's brother Alured....

Egfroth

You mean like this guy?

Egfroth

As usual, the Byzantines were using it before everybody else . . .From the Strategikon of Emperor Maurice (c. 600, and still in use centuries later) If the enemy [cavalry] advances to within bowshot and attempts to charge and break our phalanx, a very dangerous move for them, the infantry should clo...

Egfroth

Actually, I believe the decoration on the Frankish helmet is better done than on the original . . .

Egfroth

A VERY pretty helmet! Almost enough to make me change to Late Roman! But then I guess I *am* doing Late Roman - 11th century AD!

Egfroth

That's not my reading of it. Just a fairly normal layout for a farmstead - easy access from building to building. One would be the farmhouse, and there would be barns, storehouses, maybe a byre or stable. I think you'd find a similar layout in farms almost anywhere in the world.

Egfroth

As part of a thread showing off my Byzantine armour, I've posted patterns on how I made it - see http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/ ... hp?t=52942

Egfroth

I can't find the reference, but I recall mention that Byzantine lamellar may also be connected with wire as well as cord. When I saw Egfroths kit and the art that inspired it, it reinforced for me the possibility / plausability of wire connecting the lamellae. Yes, that would make everything so muc...

Egfroth

Indeed, and that was Tim Dawson's point. However, I think the diagram is a bit misleading. Have a look at the sleeve actually on the arm - a well-placed blow might cut one lace - even a really solid one would be hard pressed to cut as many as two. I can't see that it could get more than that, and th...

Egfroth

I've put the lacing patterns for both the sleeve and the klivanion up on the AA - see http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/ ... 723#739723

Egfroth

Thought you'd like to see the patterns I used for my "banded" lamellar klivanion, and for the lamellar sleeve. The lacing design for the klivanion was developed by my friend (Dr) Tim Dawson, and he has given me permission to put it up on the Net. The pattern for the sleeve is mine, and I h...

Egfroth

Sorry - I should have put "there are no other surviving 11th century examples" - but Stacy asked for info on stuff that wasn't on the BT.

Egfroth

We don't know for sure. The good ol' Bayeux Tapestry shows two archers in what appear to be Phrygian caps, but everybody else is bareheaded throughout. I can't think of anything much from 11th century Normandy showing men with their heads covered. But I would be very unwilling to recommend either a ...

Egfroth

Just be a bit careful with the fleurs de lys in the first link. Though they and similar designs did exist, they are by no means as well represented in pre-conquest English decorative styles as the link might suggest. BTW, I'd like to put a link to this thread on the Hastings 2006 discussion list. Is...

Egfroth

Unfortunately there are no surviving 11th century examples of English embroidery. However, the form of decoration can probably be worked out from other sources - for example here (10th century) and here (11th century) and here (11th century) and here (11th century). There is a good example of decora...

Egfroth

Yes, I've never heard of the crossbow as being a Saracen weapon.

Egfroth

Well, it's a bit late, but I found this link which, among other things, deals with Spanish history of the 10th century - m Chalemagne's abortive incursion into the Iberian peninsula dates to 778, but her invaded again, capturing several cities - see m - Navarre and Asturias acknowledged Frankish sov...

Egfroth

I've finally figured out how to work the search system in the British Library's catalogues, and got hold of all these great pictures. I was particularly interested in the Cotton collection, which has an amazing number of pre-Conquest A/S manuscripts. For example, the Tiberius Work Calendar - m showi...

Egfroth

Thanks anyway. I'll see what I can find that way.

Egfroth

Nup; no crossbows in the BT - unusual because more than one Norman chronicler mentions their being used by the normans. However, there are other sources that show them. An 11th century Spanish illustration shows a single-handed one being carried by a horseman (it's in Arms and Armour of the Mediaeva...

Egfroth

Will, I somehow got hold of the British Library file with the whole of the Hexateuch illustrations, and now I can't find the URL. Do you know where I can get hold of it?

Egfroth

watch the almost hehehe cause there there. also there are swords in scabbards being held were you can see a buckled end instead of the laced tie method many of us have Agreed. In fact, there is one definite sword belt OVER the hauberk - see the guy getting the sword in the face in the second panel ...

Egfroth

watch the almost hehehe cause there there. also there are swords in scabbards being held were you can see a buckled end instead of the laced tie method many of us have Agreed. In fact, there is one definite sword belt OVER the hauberk - see the guy getting the sword in the face in the second panel ...

Egfroth

Actually, the BT shows almost NO belts being worn over hauberks. The swords seem to hang in maid-air, suspended perhaps by skyhooks? This has given rise to a theory among English re-enactors that the sword belt was worn under the hauberk, with a "hanger" protruding through a hole in the mail, that t...

Egfroth

Have a look at the 14th century Illuminated Chronicle . Though this is Hungary rather than Croatia, Hungary was heavily influenced by the West (particularly Germany), Hungary and Croatia had a common border, and Croatia was a Hungarian possession for some considerable time after the 11th century, so...

Egfroth

Well, I'm busy making my own cord out of wool using a lucet. See you in a year or so (when I've made enough to lace a klivanion!) to let you know if it works in practice.

Egfroth

Yes, if you can give an idea of where and when, and what race/culture you're representing, it will be easier to give advice.

Egfroth

Thus far I am looking at being a Byzantine in the 10th century, and portray a persona of one of the Scandinavian/viking people who went to Byzantine to join their army and such. From that I figured I'd get the use of Lamellar, but maybe have a soft kit from the viking-esque type cultures that I gre...

Egfroth

Very impressive indeed. And yes, those are ties on the cloak in the original - similar (but not identical) to those on Cnut's cloak in the picture below. Keep working on the impression. Sometimes you can just "luck" it in, in finding the right fabrics for things like tablia. Mine were originally fro...

Egfroth

You're right - it is a lot to cover, and I've been sitting letting it percolate in my brain till I feel I can sit down and cover all the points you've raised (or at least the ones I can answer).

I'll get back to you on this soon.

Egfroth

Does anyone know where the last picture comes from? Looks to be in the style of the Maciejowski Bible, but the people are all wearing armour and weapons from slightly before that (11th-ish century?). Yes, certainly early 14th century - over-all mail (hauberk with integral coif and full-length sleev...

Egfroth

I just cut the corners off mine with tinsnips, then ground them to final shape with a fairly fine sanding disc on an electric drill, which I had mounted on the bench. Not too hard. Be patient, try out your technique on bits of stainless that don't matter, until you're happy you can get the corners n...

Egfroth

Yes, but Ffoulkes was writing at the beginning of the twentieth century. We've moved on since then, and the "banded mail" theory has been pretty comprehensively exploded.

Egfroth

edited links -DeCalmont

Quite possibly. You should also look at http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/ ... 422#719422 for more information.

Also the Church of St Savious in Chora (otherwise known as the Kariye Jami) in Istanbul has some very good 14th century mosaics of Byzantine soldiers - see Item 1 and Item 2

Hope this helps

Egfroth

No, my friend has the Greek "Alexander". 14th century and Byzantine. Pretty cool. It's quite possibly the one you mention, but I'm really not sure. There's some more nice Byzantine warrior pics from the C14 in the Church of St Saviour in Chora (otherwise known as the Kariye Djami/Cami/Jami) in Istan...

Byzantine "banded lamellar" - patterns