| beginning there was no armor for protection | | | | both arrows and bolts often had three or four |
| against enemies. There were only weapons. | | | | sides, which pierced armor well. |
| Humans have fought over possessions or land | | | | The Roman armor incorporated special helmets. |
| ever since early humans began to grow crops or | | | | In Italy the Romans developed armies that were |
| keep domestic animals. The earliest weapons | | | | finally able to defeat the Greeks and break up |
| were probably rocks, sticks, and animal bones and | | | | their phalanxes. A phalanx may be defined as |
| were used in one of two ways. Some were | | | | being a tight formation of foot soldiers usually |
| carried to strike a blow or to cut. Other civil war | | | | carrying spears or pikes. After the 2nd century |
| weapons were made to be thrown or shot at the | | | | B.C., the Romans gradually conquered much of |
| enemy from a distance. | | | | Europe with disciplined legions of men in armor. |
| Later, humans developed specially shaped | | | | Each legion contained several thousand regular |
| weapons from stone and flint, and by about 5000 | | | | troops plus auxiliaries who were not Roman |
| B.C., copper was being used. After this came | | | | citizens. Legionnaires at first wore mail, made of |
| bronze, then iron, and finally steel, which made the | | | | small metal rings, or a metal plate on the chest. In |
| hardest armor and sharpest blades. Many other | | | | the 1st century A.D., the lorica segmentata came |
| materials have also been used, such as leather, | | | | into use. The large shield and tunic were colored |
| whalebone, and horn. | | | | to match the soldier's unit. |
| Soon, those who had to fight began to protect | | | | The Roman armor also called lorica was made |
| themselves by carrying shields. Sometimes they | | | | from iron strips held together by laces, straps, |
| also wore body armor. Armor was designed to | | | | and buckles. These often wore out, so metal |
| give the best possible protection against | | | | fastenings were introduced. |
| increasingly powerful weapons. The samurai armor | | | | The iron helmet, tied under the chin, had cheek |
| could not be too heavy or so difficult to wear | | | | pieces to guard the face and a broad neck armor. |
| that a soldier could not move properly. This | | | | Ear cutouts allowed the Roman soldier to hear. |
| constant struggle between attack and defense | | | | Mail was armor made from interlinked iron rings |
| has continued right up to the present day with | | | | (looked like mesh) |
| each manufacturer trying to produce better | | | | Because mail is not rigid, blows can break bones |
| equipment than his or her rivals. | | | | without actually cutting through the rings. More |
| The first armor was introduced by the Sumerians. | | | | and more steel plates were therefore added, and |
| The first soldiers to use bronze were the | | | | by 1400, knights were covered from head to |
| Sumerians of the ancient Middle East around 3000 | | | | foot in plate armor. The pieces could be held |
| B.C. The Sumerians carried spears and large | | | | together by leather strips attached underneath or |
| rectangular shields. By about 1400 B.C., Egyptian | | | | by rivets. A rivet on one plate slid in a slot in |
| soldiers, among others, were wearing armor of | | | | another plate, or two plates pivoted on a single |
| stiffened fabric and coats covered in small scales, | | | | rivet. Battle armor, like this weighed about 1400, |
| which also protected their shoulders. The | | | | weighed about 44 pounds (20 kg). Because the |
| Assyrians, who rose to power in the Middle East | | | | weight was distributed evenly over the body, a |
| in the late 10th century B.C., were ruthless | | | | man could sit, lie down, run, or mount his horse |
| soldiers. The Assyrian Empire fell around 612 B.C., | | | | without help. Plate armor wasused until the 17th |
| by which time the Greek city-states were | | | | century. |
| becoming powerful. Greek soldiers wore bronze | | | | The Age of Mail as armor and the Saxon warrior |
| helmets that covered almost the whole head, and | | | | Armor was first introduced in England during the |
| they carried large, round bronze shields. . | | | | 1066 Battle of Hastings. The mail armor was the |
| The Greeks and their armor. | | | | forerunner of what the great knights of England |
| The Greeks used armor that was made of small | | | | later wore during battles and jousts. By the 12th |
| bronze plates joined tightly by red laces. The | | | | century a knight attacked with the lance tucked |
| armor on the shoulders and stomach had lacing on | | | | under his arm, using the momentum of the |
| the outside and moved easily. | | | | galloping horse to drive the pointed steel head into |
| The Greeks sometimes used a muscled bronze | | | | the target. Mail was made from many small iron |
| greave, or lower leg armor. | | | | rings joined together, each closed with a tiny pin |
| The Chinese armor used bronze armor. | | | | called a rivet. Sometimes every other row was |
| The Chinese had discovered how to cast bronze | | | | made of welded rings. |
| by 1500 B.C. By 1300 B.C., they were using | | | | A mail coat might weigh 20-27 pounds (9-13 kg) |
| bronze body armor made of many small plates or | | | | and had split skirts to make riding easier. A flap |
| one large piece. Around 500 B.C. iron weapons | | | | guarded the throat, and a padded tunic might be |
| began to appear, but for a long time the metal | | | | worn underneath to deaden blows. |
| was brittle and of poor quality. | | | | The steel helmet was shaped to make blows slide |
| . | | | | off, while the nose guard protected the face |
| The uniform of all imperial Qin soldiers seems to | | | | from a slashing cut. The knights used this type of |
| have been of similar colors. This made soldiers | | | | helmet until the 13th century. |
| instantly recognizable as members of a unit and | | | | The wooden kite shaped shield became popular |
| helped boost comradeship within the ranks. | | | | with mounted knights. Unlike the older round shield, |
| The crossbow shot a bolt, an arrow shorter than | | | | it guarded the left side of both horse and rider. |
| the one used by bowmen. The bronze heads of | | | | |