The Armour Archive

Gerhard von Liebau

I keep coming back in here to stare and thinking that I also need to post a compliment, so I might as well! This is a very lovely and little-reproduced sort of harness and you guys have apparently done great work putting it together. Thanks for sharing, and good luck with the sale!

-Gerhard

Gerhard von Liebau

Keep updating us, Jester! I think the hunt is turning out quite interesting. Good luck.

-Gerhard

Gerhard von Liebau

I sort of want to read it now just to feel proud as I finish it... Never read through anything like that! 0.o

-Gerhard

Gerhard von Liebau

I still buy my leather at Tandy in person. There are no other options for me within 200 miles, and I always prefer to examine large hides personally. I find the extra cost associated with Tandy's products offset by my proximity and not worrying about shipping. If you have other local sources it may ...

Gerhard von Liebau

Speaking of which, how many of us have read English Weapons & Warfare 449-1660 by Norman and Pottinger (1966)? As a lad it was one of the first books of military history that I got a hold of, and have cherished it since. It's been a while since I gave it a proper read-through, though... I imagine mu...

Gerhard von Liebau

Are you sure they're in the palace museum, and not the Archaeology museum (which is on the palace grounds)? I spent several hours in the archaeological museum and took hundreds of photos. Part of the collection in the same building as the slight medieval segment (a grand majority was ancient materi...

Gerhard von Liebau

You can't even take photographs in the museum sections of Topkapi and no, as far as I recall there were no cards on display when I was there in August 2014. Only a selection of rather priceless jewelry and apparel, as well as a number of weapons and accouterments attributed to extremely important in...

Gerhard von Liebau

Thank you, Pontificus!

Another weekend bump... Help me get to Moscow to visit a beautiful woman, folks! It's a good cause, honestly.

-Gerhard

Gerhard von Liebau

Lookin' sharp, Vladimir. What's on the legs? Hope you're well!

-Gerhard

Gerhard von Liebau

I really have no reason to be bothered by this from a personal perspective, but the slant of this story and what it tells me about problems in our own little world of fantasy is disheartening. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/02/archery-company-sues-larper-over-patents-then-files-gag-motion-t...

Gerhard von Liebau

Just received that book in the mail, Derian. Was near the top of my wish list recently, and is now near the top of my reading list! Thanks.

-Gerhard

Gerhard von Liebau

Italians and tourists. But seriously, I wouldn't agree with Wade about there being "not a lot" at the Doge's Palace... From what I've seen in the photo collections of others, there's a dynamic collection of armament there that's worth taking a proper look at. https://www.flickr.com/photos/98015679@N...

Gerhard von Liebau

Baron Alcyoneus wrote:They also didn't expect a helmet to last for 20 years of getting banged around.

I dunno'. We still have enough of them laying around after five hundred years. Hard to tell what they were thinking back in the day... There's lots of "old" armament listed in inventories, that's for sure!

-Gerhard

Gerhard von Liebau

Since this just happened to come back up... I have a little tip that might come in handy for those of us who use arrows with natural fletching for extended periods of time. Last night I decided to reinforce the fletching on the 17 wooden arrows I currently have left of two different dozens I've purc...

Gerhard von Liebau

That's how I envisioned it working out. Good deal!

Gerhard von Liebau

Link won't work in that state, and even if it did plenty of people don't have Facebook around here (though I do). Might you ask permission to copy/paste the story here? Those are always fun...

-Gerhard

Gerhard von Liebau

May I ask what you like about archaeology that isn't material culture? Heh...

-Gerhard

Gerhard von Liebau

That's entirely up to you... I presumed you were after English stuff to learn about the lyrical compositions and themes. If you're going to be reciting the stuff then it might be cool to mix up some of the original material with the translations. And thanks for finding "Old German Love Songs." There...

Gerhard von Liebau

Most of the stuff in the Codex Manesse and other contemporary HMG compilations has not been translated into English. You can find German publications that might have modern German or at least transcriptions of the HMG texts, but the topic is largely undeveloped in English. The focus of translation w...

Gerhard von Liebau

For some more details on the sorts of shields Egfroth and Gocauo are describing, we discussed them in a previous thread to some extent:

And here you may find that thread.

Gerhard von Liebau

Arms & Armour in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen: Volume I: European Armour

New book coming out. Looks promising... 528 pages! Cheers!

-Gerhard

Gerhard von Liebau

Some of the Viking ship burials included uncovered shields. I'm aware of the difficulty interpreting grave goods--were they made for the burial/or were they just old stuff/or do they represent typical goods? That said, I think we can not just dismiss the possibility of uncovered shields in some con...

Gerhard von Liebau

You're far more likely to find people who own these things and may be interested in parting with them on the Sword Forum International or myArmoury forums, which both have classified sections where you can post similarly. Happy hunting!

-Gerhard

Gerhard von Liebau

Any decent European shield from antiquity through the renaissance had some sort of fabric, parchment or hide covering. I would not presume that the arrangement of the "nails" and curved lines on the front of shields like those depicting in the Stuttgart Psalter are interpretations of the wood, but s...

Gerhard von Liebau

All prices reduced so that I can push this stock out, folks! I want to make some more stuff but can't have it all lying about at once... Cheers!

-Gerhard

Gerhard von Liebau

I'm sympathetic to the flat earth stuff. I'm not sure why it annoys me when someone makes a point by saying "well, people used to think the world was flat". I feel compelled to yell at them, "yeah maybe some pre-aristotilian philosophers!" Even among educated and generally intelligent people the ol...

Gerhard von Liebau

Mac, The "artificial sinew natural" and "tejas waxed thread" both have a look very similar to the actual un-braided strands of the natural sinew available from Tandy. I believe it is the tejas waxed thread that I've been using to stitch up a number of my projects lately, unless if there is a discont...

Gerhard von Liebau

Henrik, It says right on the item page that worldwide shipping is free. Sulla, I don't have experience with Armstreets tents as a buyer, but I've seen them set up their booths at Pennsic in their own tents and have handled numerous items by them, and have also engaged in serious conversation with th...

Gerhard von Liebau

Thanks Karen,

I'm definitely interested in the rural and agricultural side of things, so if that's what the former has then that's what I'm after.

And thanks for the additional links as well. Cheers!

-Gerhard

Gerhard von Liebau

Modreth, Those both look exceptional - I am particularly glad to see the contemporary piece in 500 points of Husbandry (wish listed the version that is accompanied by Tusser's "huswifery" as well). Karen, The reviews on that particular piece are rather low. The Luttrell Psalter by the same author ha...

Gerhard von Liebau

Hello folks, I've acquired or "wish-listed" a number of books about medieval European peasantry, but have so far found virtually no relevant titles concerning material culture. I wish to change this if possible! Does anyone have any good recommendations? I am particularly interested in volumes that ...

Gerhard von Liebau

Robert of Canterbury wrote: Title Fools and Jesters at the English Court
Author John Southworth
Publisher The History Press, 2011
ISBN 0752479865, 9780752479866

It took me a minute to figure out what a "Title Fool" might be...

Gerhard von Liebau

Signo wrote:At least we finally have the proof that those absurd helms are indeed functional.. how can we have doubted this for so much time?

Functional? You mean that they fit over a head?

Gerhard von Liebau

Primvs Pavlvs wrote:Isn't that Rod Walker?

Best reply. I read about people spitting their coffee and such, and am super glad I had just taken my swig before reading that! Bwah, ha, ha, ha!

-Gerhard

Gerhard von Liebau

But it's natural and expensive. It was obviously used for everything!

Re: Byzantine set for sale.

Re: God bless Western museum curators

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Re: Where do and don't you want to buy full hides?

Re: Arms & Armour in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen

Re: God bless Western museum curators

Re: God bless Western museum curators

Re: Gerhard's Fineries Etsy Shop

Re: My kit at practice

A LARPer is being used over "patent" on foam-tipped arrows!

Re: LF Books on medieval peasant material culture

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Re: Weights of these 14th-15th century helmets?

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Re: Stolen? armor on eBay

Re: Stolen? armor on eBay

Re: LF Books on medieval peasant material culture

Re: Resources for Minnesang?

Re: Resources for Minnesang?

Re: Byzantine shields

Arms & Armour in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen

Re: Byzantine shields

Re: Wanted: Kirby Wise Fraser Claymores and Basket Hilts

Re: Byzantine shields

Re: Gerhard's Fineries Etsy Shop

Re: How Dark Were the Dark Ages?

Re: Sinew

Re: Anyone have any experience of this tent vendor?

Re: LF Books on medieval peasant material culture

Re: LF Books on medieval peasant material culture

LF Books on medieval peasant material culture

Re: I'm looking for resources on 13th court Jesters

Re: Is this Armour Accurate?

Re: Is this Armour Accurate?

Re: Sinew