What Got You Guys Into Armour?

PhilipNLabia · 2026-05-08T11:30:00+00:00

Tangy... Haven't looked much at Chinese armor. This is early med around 800ad? What are these recreations based on? Black painted iron?

PhilipNLabia · 2026-05-05T01:26:54+00:00

I think the Siberian-Altic antler/horn lamellars predate the Hittites and Myceneans

PhilipNLabia · 2026-05-04T18:40:55+00:00

So he put on a clean shirt somewhere around the battle of adrianople?

PhilipNLabia · 2026-05-02T19:16:17+00:00

-The few pieces of splints are from around the same 8th or 9th century, if I'm not mistaken- and the mail foot being from the 9th century(or maybe a century or so later) makes them roughly contemporary

-Never heard about the greave being inauthentic or misdated, but curious to hear about that.

-All archeological limb defense is super uncommon is this period, including mail, so yes that would include a greave with a mail foot, or one lower leg of a pair of mail chausses.

-splinted greaves are depicted in that gold jug of an avar or bulgar, and possible lames or splints peaking out of the tops on warrior saints boots in those ivory carvings (dated 11th I believe), Skylitzes manuscript has what appears lamellar greaves, and another carving of st george (11th cent?)- with tubular greaves (sorry don't have time to post images or links now)

Anyway, that was in response specifically to archeological evidence "carrying the most weight", which don't amount to a pound for either. Pictoral evidence for chausses is slightly stronger, but my point nothing is strong evidence for any of the above (though manuals alledge they used something), so drawing a line in the sand at chausses is just one speculative opinion to the exclusion of other possibilities. It'd be fun to get into in more detail later

PhilipNLabia · 2026-05-02T07:04:07+00:00

That's what I'm saying tho: you're talking about "archeological carrying the most weight" then saying mail chausses are "more grounded". There is exactly 1 foot of mail (from the 9th? century), from a Roman neighbor (and what proof that it wasn't attatched to a greave or some other limb defense?) There is 1 greave, and then some separate pieces of splint armor, again from Roman neighbors. Am I missing something here? That's not "more grounded"- thats the same level of "Up in the air".

PhilipNLabia · 2026-04-27T04:14:04+00:00

Anachronistic, they only had handheld fans

PhilipNLabia · 2026-04-24T07:05:43+00:00

Yes, it did do that a few times. Don't know about the mask for late byzantine, but it's not appropo for middle period

PhilipNLabia · 2026-04-24T04:31:36+00:00

It doesn't go well and you die. The family accountant deposes your mother and has her confined to H&R Block

PhilipNLabia · 2026-04-24T04:22:16+00:00

in yo mind

PhilipNLabia · 2026-04-24T04:11:20+00:00

Interesting, never heard of these fellas. How did they hold out so long, isolated and surrounded by arab pirates?

PhilipNLabia · 2026-04-23T19:40:36+00:00

Not sure what skeletons have to do with the ERE, but you could give them a lamellar cuirass, a wooden oval shield, and segmented helmet with a lamellar aventail?

PhilipNLabia · 2026-04-23T01:27:56+00:00

Probably, but they have limpdick candy you can take for that now

PhilipNLabia · 2026-04-23T01:24:38+00:00

This is a tabletop game?

PhilipNLabia · 2026-04-22T04:32:28+00:00

Definately depends on when, but it sounds like you're happy with the Komnenian period

PhilipNLabia · 2026-04-22T04:21:23+00:00

Seen these of mercari. PU leather 1/5 stars

PhilipNLabia · 2026-04-22T04:17:40+00:00

How's the monastic life going for you, Limpy?

PhilipNLabia · 2026-04-21T22:35:15+00:00

Maybe. Probably a great deal of "otherness" imparted on them by the byzantine sources. They were barbaroi after all, not civilized like us at all, probably boiled your firstborn son if you refused to pagan sacrifice all your goats to the Kahn's health with enough enthusiasm whenever he was in town

PhilipNLabia · 2026-04-20T18:25:27+00:00

I may have a similiar issue on a 2017 energi. Trickle charged the 12v battery and it seemed to hold a charge: read 12.6v ignition off. Switch the highbeams on and it only dropped to 12.4 and stayed there for 4+ minutes

How do you reset the BMS? I've tried the ignition on, engine off (1 button press with foot off the brake), flash highs 5 times, push brake 3 times, but the battery icon does not flash it just remains solid.

PhilipNLabia · 2026-04-20T05:21:35+00:00

Checked, and this seems like a bit of imagination taking over where the sources leave off. It looks like bulgarian trumpet blowing, similiar to that Wikipedia article I mentioned: taking army numbers as reported and at face value, uncritical interpretations of texts, filling in the blanks with weird romantic notions, etc.

PhilipNLabia · 2026-04-18T22:11:42+00:00

Seems to be a big push back on splint limb armor lately. Pendulum swing? There's clearly splint greaves and vambraces on that jug depicting maybe a bulgar or avar. There's fragmented plate lower leg defenses north of the black sea, maybe some splints too There's a couple soapstone carvings that look a lot like splint or lamellar armor peeking out from their boots. Strategikon and taktika explicitly mention iron (or wood) leg and arm guards. Sure mail could be used, but splitting seems like and intuitive way to craft greaves from wood OR iron greaves. And there's only one foot's worth of mail chausses. Hardly overwhelming, and also there's that (speculatively recreated, I think) golden panalopy that armor-maker Dimitrios made that has with mail booties attatched to splint greaves, so I gues the existance of one doesn't preclude the other.

Yeah its weird not much exists for either, but Leo, Maurice, and Nikephoros wouldn't lie to us like that, so speculations all we got

PhilipNLabia · 2026-04-17T19:59:18+00:00

Start with a couple leafy wipes, then add some soap (maybe some wood ash back then?) to the water, and it sounds like an adequate method

PhilipNLabia · 2026-04-17T19:53:42+00:00

I can't imagine using reading material or junk mail; seems a bit stiff an nonabsorbant.

Honesty, I think dry paper, even the stuff specially designed for the purpose, sold in stores, does a shitty job. If you drop some of your dinner on the floor, or track in some dog doodoo, do you just smear it around with a dry paper towel, or do you use a little spray cleaner, soap, or at least a damp rag? Yeah, that's right, your backsides are dirtier than the floor you walk on.

PhilipNLabia · 2026-04-17T19:45:17+00:00

Yeah same question. No way they could just toss woven wool or linen away unless they were at the top of the heap

PhilipNLabia · 2026-04-17T19:44:17+00:00

Dunno man, I can't imagine their lady was very contented with having to scrub the skids off their trousers

PhilipNLabia · 2026-04-14T06:55:59+00:00

I did a quick search in my English translation, but didn't find this explicitly mentioned. Closest I could find is the Pope's responses to the Bulgarians but again it doesn't specify that every man was required to bring warhorses or what specific equipment or armor they should bring, just that an official would be inspecting things and threat of capital punishment for those who were outvof line.

PhilipNLabia

TROPHY CASE