The shield was the most common means of defence. The sagas specifically mention linden wood for shield construction, although finds from graves show mostly other timbers, such as fir, alder and poplar with steel or iron shield boss. These timbers are not very dense and are light in the hand. They are also not inclined to split, unlike oak. Also, the fibres of the timber bind around blades preventing the blade from cutting any deeper unless a lot more pressure is applied. In conjunction with stronger wood, Vikings often reinforced their shields with leather or, occasionally, iron around the rim. [2] Round shields seem to have varied in size from around 45–120 centimetres (18–47in) in diameter but 75–90 centimetres (30–35in) is by far the most common. One little apron is folded over and stitched to another at the top so that the plates can be securely attached. Thus, the plates provide homogeneous protection, and identical armor is created for their horses and soldiers. The armor is so shiny that a man can look directly at his reflection.” Ystoria Mongalorum, by Giovanni da Pian del Carpine (1185–1252).

Ciryon", "Círyon", and "Siryon" redirect here. For the etymology of Syria's name, see Name of Syria. Brigandine from Handbuch der Waffenkunde (Handbook of Weaponry), Wendelin Boeheim, 1890. Therefore, iron mail may not have been widely used in Mongol armor. Due to the nomadic lifestyle of the Mongols, Mongolian armor was often lighter than its Eastern and Western equivalents. This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( December 2010) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) In the later medieval period (13th-14th centuries), scale armour was widely used among the Rus. Lamellar appears to have been much less common. Owning a sword was a matter of high honour. Persons of status might own ornately decorated swords with silver accents and inlays. Most Viking warriors would own a sword as one raid was usually enough to afford a good blade. Most freemen would own a sword with goðar, jarls and sometimes richer freemen owning much more ornately decorated swords. The poor farmers would use an axe or spear instead but after a couple of raids they would then have enough to buy a sword. One sword mentioned in the Laxdæla saga was valued at half a crown, which would correspond to the value of 16 milk-cows. Constructing such weapons was a highly specialized endeavour and many sword-blades were imported from foreign lands, such as the Rhineland. Swords could take up to a month to forge and were of such high value that they were passed on from generation to generation. Often, the older the sword, the more valuable it became. [12]Kiritsuke iyozane is a form of laminar armor constructed from long strips of leather and or iron which were perforated, laced, and notched and made to replicate the look of real lamellar plates. These strips of simulated lamellar plates were much more rigid than real lamellar and they were assembled into armor items in the same way that the rows of lamellar armour were. Felt and leather boots rounded out the Mongolian armor. However bulky they were, they were comfortable and broad enough to fit trousers inside before they were laced firmly.

According to Meng Hong, the reason for the Mongols' success was that they possessed more iron than previous steppe peoples. [78] During the Song dynasty (960–1279) it became fashionable to create warts on pieces of armour to imitate cold forged steel, a product typically produced by non-Han people in modern Qinghai. Warts created from cold work were actually spots of higher carbon in the original steel, thus aesthetic warts on non-cold forged steel served no purpose. According to Shen Kuo, armour constructed of cold forged steel was impenetrable to arrows shot at a distance of 50 paces. Even if the arrow happened to hit a drill hole, the arrowhead was the one which was ruined. [69] However crossbows were still prized for their ability to penetrate heavy armour. [70]Robert L. Coleman (SCA) has written a guide to making steppe lamellar, including a useful bibliography and list of archaeological examples. Note that this shows the conventional steppe lamellar, not the distinctive Byzantine method. Fedor Solntsev's "Ancients of the Russian State" (1849–53) contain descriptions of both kuyak body armours and kuyak helmets ("hats") padded with cotton wool and reinforced with small iron plates, which are fixed by small "nails" (rivets). An excellent catalogue of examples is available thanks to Jennifer Baker of the New Varangian Guard.

The earliest depictions of "banded" armour have been found in bronze figurines made by the Dian Kingdom that existed from 279 BCE to 109 BCE. Later banded armor also appears in Northern and Southern dynasties and Tang era art. This type of armour was built up of long horizontal bands or plates, similar to the lorica segmentata. The imperial guards of the Jurchen Jin dynasty have been described wearing banded armour. The left guards wore blue banded armour and held yellow dragon flags while the right guards wore red banded armour and held red dragon flags. Banded armour is even more rarely depicted than the elusive mountain pattern armour or mail armour. [40] Co-fusion steel weapons on armour [ edit ]Tang dynasty (618–907) [ edit ] Tang soldier in cord and plaque armour Tang shield warriors wearing cord and plaque An armoured cavalryman asking for direction, from a painting by Yan Lide, the brother of Yan Liben, 7th c. Cavalry of the Guiyi Circuit This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( July 2011) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Debunking Common Misconceptions about Lamellar Armor in Popular Culture Misconception: Lamellar Armor is Inflexible and Restrictive