Lecture | Clad in rings

Clad in rings: European battle shirts from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages

Martijn Wijnhoven (Institute of Archaeology of the CAS, Brno)

24 April, 14:10 CEST

The lecture takes place onsite in the Library of the Institute of Archeology in Prague (Letenské 4, Praha 1) and online via Zoom (https://cesnet.zoom.us/j/91961210601).

Abstract:

Mail armour, often mislabelled as ‘chainmail’ has a history spanning over two millennia on the battlefield. Invented during the Iron Age, it quickly spread across Europe and beyond. The Roman army, always eager to adopt innovative military technologies, embraced mail armour early on, utilising it effectively for centuries. Its significance extended well beyond antiquity, playing a crucial role in warfare during the Middle Ages. Despite its long history and widespread use, mail armour remains surprisingly under-documented. This lecture offers the first systematic exploration of its archaeological, iconographic, and textual evidence, enriched by technical insights into the chaîne opératoire of mail production.