The Armour Archive

Norman

About the "land of Kedar" - the Kipchaks (southern Ukraine/Russia) "...They also put pieces of flesh under the saddle of a horse, which they ride and, urging on the animal, cause it to sweat. The flesh getting warm, they eat it. " Travels of Rabbi Petachia of Ratisbon, sometime b...

Norman

Womens' roles varied widely. Norman is absolutely right about his historical context -- so any gal who wanted to be more historically correct in her anachronism could easily go Rus. I would be very surprise to find any historical references about Slavic women been professional warriors. It is simpl...

Norman

Sorry for any confusion; let me clarify. I haven't 100% decided on my persona, but it will probably be 8-9th century Slavic or Byzantine. If I experiment with my own design, I want it to look close enough to period that someone could look at it and see, for example, how a 9th century Byzantine armo...

Norman

The "international" style is the be safe and don't bother looking at finds style -- as long as your chosen culture wore lamellar, you are safe with it. Otherwise you have to search for particular finds. Also, the "international" style's lacing is tried and true. It is based on ac...

Norman

chef, Yes my answer was not to the title of the thread, it was to the question asked at the begining of it. And I have absolutely no interest in justifying the practices of any modern groups. I simply and directly answered the question asked based on evidence provided by one of the leaders in archae...

Norman

You are hung up on etymology... The English etymology of 'knight' s an utter red herring, as chivalric culture originated in France... Actualy, it is an utter red herring because it does not seem that the question asked was interested in the details of what "chivalric culture" means and i...

Norman

Again Norman, you are broadening the term to the point of dilution where it has no meaning. Knighthood, in the Latin West, is the definer of Knighthood, because that is where Chivalry developed. "Knight" is the word developed by the English to rerfer to their warrior-noblemen. "Knigh...

Norman

Well, upon review I misread Norman and interpreted leather "scales" into those rectangular plates riveted to leather a la Braveheart. Yes I meant scales. As for Braveheart, my interpretation of Mel's armour is a very bad take on the early Coat of Plates in the "sleeping knight" ...

Norman

Sorry Norman, Knighthood doesn't exist outside of Christendom. The use by crusaders and medieval observers of the term, is trying to place them (the foriegners) into a social hierarchy the reader would understand - it dosen't, and didn't admit them into the Brotherhood of Arms of Christendom and Kn...

Norman

The problem is that there is ZERO evidence for women "being full fledged members of the knightly class" in Western or even Central Europe. But the question was about women knights in the Medieval World not Western or Central Europe. ... Knighthood, as understood by Medieval people, was a ...

Norman

I think everyone said most everything.

The one constructive criticism that needs to be focused on is --
the lames are too big.
On both sides of the coup you want two lames together the size of your one.

Norman

Leopold der Wolf wrote:An idea is to make shaped realistic looking rubber weapon covers you can slide over your rattan.

They have those at the drug store
...and many opponents won't play with you without one.

Norman

The problem is that there is ZERO evidence for women "being full fledged members of the knightly class" in Western or even Central Europe. But the question was about women knights in the Medieval World not Western or Central Europe. Western and Central Europe form just a piece of the worl...

Norman

I'm putting together a "light-flight-fight" kit for flying around places, showing up with a light bag of good-but-light-but-not-historical-but-covered armour, asking for a loaner weapon and getting out there... I'm sorry. I was typing my post when yours came in. For a "light pre-Viki...

Norman

...Valsgarde 6 helmet ... What "goes with it"? Would "hidden armour" work? This is a very high level chief's helmet. IMO - The person wearing it into battle would certainly not be the farmer boy in coat and britches. He would wear that period's idea of the ultimate knighly armou...

Norman

Pletneva's "Account of Khazar Archaeology" (in Russian) mentions a substantail number of women's graves 8-10 century, Volga-Don river basin, where they are buried with the status symbols of knighthood - knightly belts, armour, weapons. Further north, in the Komi republic (just West of the ...

Norman

The "Green Knight?" Moss and mold in this case - not bronze. It is most clear in the description of his "chapel". He is an embodiment of the woods. There is a Spanish helmet from the 12thC? made of bronze. There are plenty of 'golden' armor bits in manuscripts around the 14thC? ...

Norman

ok i was thinking about using hidden lamellar ...and was wondering whether i should make it from plastic or steel . (leather is out ... plasticlamellar.com OR the polar bear forge's plates OR making the plates myself ...i have seen lamellar with a leather backing , is this to provide stiffness? bec...

Norman

I read somewhere in a translated piece of Komnenian literature (and can't find the direct quote now) about Manuel I Komnenos raising his visor during a battle. This site indicates that a coin found in the Great Palace at Constantinople depicts a faceplate: m . Has anyone here seen anything resembli...

Norman

You could buy an archery safety backstop net, there are a few <a href="http://www.thefind.com/query.php?query=archery+backstop+net">here</a>. My G*d! But that's expensive 200 and up for a 10 foot square!! That's like a couple of thousand to provide an enclosure I guess the canvas painting tarps wou...

Norman

Cool beans! That's pretty much the style I'm going to be going with, I think. I admit those designs leave me somewhat doubting their ability to hold onto arrows, but those guys surely knew what they were doing... In alot of the Chinese art there is a Leopard tail attached to the disk at the upper c...

Norman

Here is a KaraKitai style quiver in use from an artist with first hand knowledge (probably Timurid):

Norman

what then would you recommend? six panel spangen? single piece conical? Again, I'm looking around Krakow. ---just re-read your post. Do you have any pictures of said 'oil-can' helm? Urm.. As I think you can tell from my answers I'm realy focused somewhat to the East of Poland. My impression is that...

Norman

More like the one seen on Egfroths site: http://www.geocities.com/egfroth1/HbkHelmets.htm Oh! That's not realy Polish. It is a realy popular 10-11 century helmet (though Egfroth's replica is not the best - but close) that is most likely of Stepes nomad origin -- in fact, probably coming from one ve...

Norman

I don't know if you're looking for constructive criticism but -- Coat needs work - 1) main issue is that you used modern style buttons with eyes. THe period Russian/Turkish buttons would be more like traditional Mongol buttons today - a ball with a loop. See my thread here m 2) The other issue is th...

Norman

The armoury I worked at as an aprentice carried two types of Bronze - "Bronze" and "Silicon Bronze" The first was a yellow gold, the second was the red your item seems to be. I was told the second was a stronger item. (oddly enough, my rjleahy shortcut went directly to nails of t...

Norman

Not sure precisely Byzantine,
for 10th 11th cent Russia and the Steppes (so Byzantium's direct enemies and alies) I would say:
Yes - genericaly - if you cover everything below the dome with a maile drape

Norman

Defending Europe from the Mongol Horde. Since the land of Poland straddles West and East, how much would each influence the defenses of a Nobleman? It seems there were defenses unique to the culture (Grand polish style helm to name one), but how much was influenced by outside cultures such as Germa...

Norman

Thanks... this is good to know. One thing I notice (at least from a lot of the representations) is that sometimes the quiver is mounted facing front, and sometimes mounted so it faces the back; likewise with the bowcase -- sometimes the bow faces front, sometimes the rear. Have you ever figured out...

Norman

not many people use them but a thumb ring is incredibly period difficult to use but it may solve the problems have fun zhigmun' I use a thumb ring, But shooting with a thumb ring is a completely different style then with fingers. You are gripping with the thumb, the arrow goes on the bow on the oth...

Norman

You could buy an archery safety backstop net, there are a few <a href="http://www.thefind.com/query.php?query=archery+backstop+net">here</a>. My G*d! But that's expensive 200 and up for a 10 foot square!! That's like a couple of thousand to provide an enclosure I guess the canvas painting tarps wou...

Norman

That bow is only Magyar inasmuch as you may chose to do a Magyar reenactment. It is fairly genericaly appropriate for Eastern Europe and West Asia As such -- in the following thread I laid out a good set of pictures of Russian (and Turkish) Saadaks (bow and arrow case sets) in the style which came w...

Norman

So - going with the Safety First notion --

Now that you all know the space (see image above - the red is the space I can use for archery) and the bow (45 pound Kassai Panther)

Can folks offer specific ideas for getting my space to work?
With pictures and links if you would.

Norman

Soooo........ If I were in a scenario that had slings, I could pick up "glean" the "rock" and throw it and kill someone? Historicaly, slings were a very powerful weapon used against fully armoured combatants. Flung from a sling the rock could nicely go through a helmet (at least...

Norman

Larmer wrote:Entrants: Any Man (no women pretending to be a man) who considers himself a father to a child in a modern context.

Why? Afraid the moms hit too hard?

Re: Pictures of the Valsgarde 6 in SCA Combat?

Re: hidden lamellar (plastic or steel?)

Re: I want to be a Polish Nobleman ~ 1241

Re: "My Dad can beat up your Dad" Tourney idea for