The Armour Archive

In wich direction does lamellar plates overlap? Up and left or down and right...I don't have a clue which way? Please help?

James.

Up, generally.
Never really paid any attention to sides.. couldn't tell you. I think I saw some ilustrations where lamellar appeared to alternate (one row left, the next right, and so on), but not sure.

Uh, this isn't as informative as I would like.

As far as sides, generally I have seen left over right, as seen here:

http://www.geocities.com/kaganate/bekbek2l.jpg

though that is not by any means universal.

Sometimes they run in opposite directions on opposite sides of the body, as seen here:

http://www.chivalrybookshelf.com/titles/wisby/wisby_pl24c.jpg

Also not that the rows run both up and down on this suit.

Note the upper back on this suit:

http://www.chivalrybookshelf.com/titles/wisby/wisby_pl25.jpg

runs both ways, but the lower torso and mid front torso runs right over left.

Short answer is that there is no universal; it depends on time and place.

Can't say as far as historical precedence, but lamellar will still be flexible enough to wear if you alternate your rows between overlap to the left and overlap to the right. I did the chest on my old corselet like this, and was pleasantly surprised by how much stronger it makes your armour. If I ever do another lamellar corselet, the entire thing will be laced in this fashion.

~Wil

The direction and facing of lamellar depend on whether or not you are a horseman or infantryman.

If you are a horseman they overlap going up, and from left to right.

For infantryman they overlap down, and from right to left.

This makes sense when you put it in the context of protecting yourself from the thrusts of your opponents- i.e. a horseman protects from shots from below and on his left, and an infantryman protects from above and on his right or something like that.

Alaric

Thanks for all of your help.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by CountAlaric:
The direction and facing of lamellar depend on whether or not you are a horseman or infantryman.

If you are a horseman they overlap going up, and from left to right.

For infantryman they overlap down, and from right to left.</font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Not necessarily, depictions of the mongols (undeniably horsemen) show the overlap going both ways on suits and even both ways on one suit (upwards on body, downwards on legs). All these appear in the same illumination done by someone in the Ilkhanate (who had quite a bit of experience with actual mongols.) The different overlaps appear in multiple texts too.

Count Alaric -- I think we may have already talked about this at the Pennsic where you were king, but maybe it was your squire -- I really think that although this overlap idea makes perfect sense to us intellectually, it wasn't actually done that way. Too many exceptions to the rule for it to be a rule.

Someone should go through a bunch of images/archaeological evidence and write a summary on this topic, the question came up at least 4 times in the last month.

And submit it to the Kaganate site.

Stop looking at me like that.