Armadillo
If you’re not from these parts, you may not recognize this
animal. It is an armadillo, a
toothless, burrowing animal of the southern US, Central and South America. Its distinguishing feature is an armor-like
covering of bony plates, even on his skinny tail.
So today we are not talking about zoology but about armor,
covering worn to protect the body, more specifically, for protection from
weapons.
Early man, from the Aleutians to the Andes, wore heavy,
leather tunics, leggings and head coverings and carried shields cover in
hide. According to Anawalt (The
Worldwide History of Dress), Eskimo men wore “armor” consisting of” a series of
lower-body hoops made of double sealskin…the head and neck were protected by a
large wooden shield covered in sealskin”.
There is also evidence that Eskimos of the Bering Sea area wore plates
of walrus teeth (The Basel Museum).
The Pacific coastal
people, Tlinglit and Tsimshian, wore tunics of
multiple layers of hide. They further protected their bodies with garments
made of wooden rods or wrapped rope around them for protection. For protection
of the head and neck some wore heavy wooden face masks.
 |
| Basel Museum |
The Plains Indians carried large shields made from buffalo
hide. Some native tribes wore basketry
for armor or layers of deerskin.
Central American, Pre-Hispanic Indians, wore body protection
made of densely quilted cotton.
Patagonian warriors wore bullhide helmets and layers of horsehide.
Evidence of armor-wearing warriors c.3500BCE was found in Ur
(southern Iraq) which was the capital of Mesopotamia. Excavation of a rubbish dump revealed a royal burial plot. Amongst the findings was a decayed mosaic,
The Standard of Ur. According to the
British Museum it was fashioned from shells, lapis and limestone and consisted
(as found) of two main panels known as “war” and “peace”. On the “war” panel are three horizontal
sections depicting Sumarian warriors in battle. The warriors on foot wore short skirts, covered with a leather
cloak with metal studs
and a fitted leather cap.
 |
| Standard of Ur |
The peoples of Oceania (Sulawesi, New Guinea and the Gilbert
Islands and others) wore wicker helmets and cuirasses (a piece of close fitting
armor, protecting the neck and back).
This one-piece body armor was made of coiled bundles of coir (coconut
fiber) or rattan held together with fine bast cording. Beneath the cuirass was worn a shirt, cap
and gloves of coir twine.
Next time we will examine the contribution of metallurgy and the construction of plate armor.
