How was the ancient armor made?

Armor, as a protective weapon for soldiers, plays an extremely important role in the era of cold weapons. Similar to the body armor in modern wars, it can protect soldiers' bodies from the heavy damage of enemy offensive weapons to a great extent, thus enhancing combat effectiveness and giving the enemy a more violent blow. So, what is the origin of armor? What's the difference between ancient armor in China and western armor? What is the process of making armor? Please look forward to exploring decryption.

The stone armor and stone armor (that is, pockets and helmets) found in Qin tombs are really amazing. This batch of bluestone armor with exquisite shape, exquisite workmanship, dense distribution and various types is made of flat copper wire, which fills the gap in the development history of ancient Qin armor in China and is of great significance to the study of armor system, military system and ancient China. Armor, as a protective weapon for soldiers, plays an extremely important role in the era of cold weapons. Similar to the body armor in modern wars, it can protect soldiers' bodies from the heavy damage of enemy offensive weapons to a great extent, thus enhancing combat effectiveness and giving the enemy a more violent blow. So, what is the origin of armor? What's the difference between ancient armor in China and western armor? What is the process of making armor?

What is the earliest armor in the world?

According to archaeological data, the earliest place to use armor in the world should be ancient Egypt. Armor decorated with gold was found in ancient Egyptian tombs around 1900 BC. These armor were worn on Ushabuti's servants, indicating that armor had been used at that time. Fish-scale armor or bronze armor and helmet found in ancient Egypt in the 0/4th century BC are the earliest practical armor remains so far, and they were the defensive weapons of the Mitan and Canaanites against the Egyptians at that time. The armor plate found in the palace of Amunofis III in Thebes is about 1 15 mm long, and its end tends to be pointed.

These nails are sewn on leather or cloth underwear, and the armor is considerable in weight and uncomfortable to wear, which has immeasurable value in resisting the penetration of composite bows. The general archer's armor consists of about 500 large scales covering the body, 500 small scales covering the arms and about 200 equally small helmet scales. These ingenious designs not only greatly reduce the number of casualties in the army and play a better defensive role, but also maintain a certain degree of flexibility while being bulky and greatly increase the combat effectiveness of the army. The discovery of these armor proves the glory and splendor of ancient Egyptian civilization.

What is the armor used in the ancient west?

The civilization history of ancient Greece and Rome is well known, and armor has been found in the remains found in these areas.

Ancient Greece is the open source of western history, which lasted about 650 years (800 BC-0/46 BC). Located in southern Europe and the northeastern Mediterranean, including the southern Balkans, the west coast of Asia Minor and many small islands in the Aegean Sea. In the 5th and 6th centuries BC, especially after the Greek-Persian War, the economic life was highly prosperous, resulting in splendid Greek culture, which had a far-reaching impact on later generations. In 323 BC, Alexander died of illness, and his huge empire fell apart. The history of ancient Greece ended and the Hellenistic era began.

Bronze tibia armor (left) and bronze helmet (right) of Vitoronia in the 7th century BC.

From the 8th century BC to the 6th century BC, the Greeks immigrated to southern Italy and established a city-state. In the 7th century BC, the process of tribal union began with Pallatium as the center. A single Latin tribe joined with Sabin and Eta Lasquin to form the Roman Commune. From the end of the 7th century to the end of the 6th century, the Roman Commune was under the rule of Eta Rasquin. At this time, the transition from clan tribal commune to polis was completed. At the end of the 5th century, Gauls entered the Po Plain from the northern Alps. After long-term integration and assimilation, these tribes formed the ancestors of Italians and opened the curtain of the ancient Roman empire.

The history of western civilization is a cruel history of war. The west has been divided and wars are frequent, so armor is widely used as a protective measure. Western armor is mostly made of bronze or iron sheet, which is stronger than flexibility and is subject to more restrictions.

When did China's ancient armor first appear? What is the form?

In China, from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty to the Qin and Han Dynasties, due to the frequent and fierce wars and the increase in scale, the proportion of heavily armored troops in the armies of various countries increased day by day. During the Warring States period, all the major vassal states had a large number of armed troops-"Jun". After Shang Yang's political reform, the national strength of Qin became stronger and stronger. In the long-term merger war with the "six countries", the army has surpassed other vassal States in number, and the so-called "one million armor" refers to this; Because Qin Jun fought bravely, it made other countries' troops daunting, and it was called "the teacher of tigers and wolves", which was also the main reason why Qin Neng destroyed the six countries.

Restoration of Iron Armor of Chuwangling in Shizishan, Xuzhou

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, leather armor was the main armor, but ironclad also appeared. By the middle of the Western Han Dynasty, the real armor had occupied the main position. From the analysis of the armor data of Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pits and Shijia Burial Pits in Qin Dynasty, it is found that the armored armor has occupied a considerable proportion, but leather armor is still the main one, only from the Warring States to the Han Dynasty. The change of armor texture from leather to iron is mainly due to the change of offensive weapons from bronze to sharper iron weapons from Warring States to Han Dynasty, which forced armor as a protective weapon to gradually change from leather to iron. On the other hand, the change of armor texture just confirms the transformation process of offensive weapons from blunt bronze weapons to sharp iron weapons in this period.

What kind of manufacturing technology was used in ancient armor?

In the early days of Europe, people mainly made fully enclosed and fully armed armor. The craftsman needs to knock the whole piece of copper or iron on the chopping block into the shape of a human body, and then assemble the parts. The fixed parts are all made of a whole piece of copper skin or iron sheet, and only the joints and the parts that need to be moved are hooked with copper skin or iron belt buckles or rings or other pins. Sometimes the helmet is completely closed, leaving only a small gap for observation and ventilation.

Bronze belt buckle (left), bronze needle buckle (right)

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in China, leather armor was the main armor, but ironclad also appeared. By the middle of the Western Han Dynasty, the real armor had occupied the main position. From the analysis of the armor data of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit and Shijia Burial Pit, it is found that armored armor has occupied a considerable proportion, but leather armor is still the main one, which happens to be in the Warring States period. Leather armor was basically eliminated in Han dynasty, and ironclad was basically used. In the Song Dynasty, willow beetle and scale beetle were invented, which not only protected the body, but also made them move freely and increased their attack ability. In the Ming Dynasty, a wide-brimmed hat made of steel was invented, which replaced the previous wide-brimmed felt hat, and the iron mesh skirt was covered with tightly nailed leather armor, which replaced the heavy armor. Steel wide-brimmed helmet can effectively prevent head injuries caused by shrapnel, swords, spears, etc., nail leather armor can effectively cover the gap of lock armor, lock armor can increase the defense force, make soldiers better protected and increase the effective mobility, which is the peak of armor development.

Jia Yi in Qing Dynasty (left) and Jia Suo in Qing Dynasty (right)

What is the record of the method of making armor in historical materials?

Kao Gong Ji was compiled by Qi officials during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and it is the earliest extant handicraft technical document in China. This book describes the design specifications and manufacturing techniques of various handicrafts in Qi State. It kept a lot of information about handicraft production technology and arts and crafts in the pre-Qin period, and recorded a series of production management and construction systems, which reflected the ideas at that time to some extent. It is recorded in "Examination of Han People in Gong Ji": "Han people are A, seven rhinoceros genera, six rhinoceros genera and five rhinoceros genera. A hundred years of rhinoceros armour, two hundred years of penetrating armour, and three hundred years of armour. Anyone who does a must do his face first, then his skin. The upper and lower weights are one, and the circumference is long. Where the armor is forged, it is not strong. If it is already ours, it will be flexible. On the way to check the leather, it is empty, but it is rich; I hope it is simple; I want a straight man, and I want to keep my promise; For example, I want it to be rich; Clothes make you want nothing. Empty and boring, firm; If it is easy, there will be more material; Just be frank. If you make an appointment, one week; Give it a lot; Then it will be clear; If there is no clothing, it will change. "

The main idea of this record is that the author is a worker who specializes in making armor. Rhinoceros nail has seven upper and lower legs, Jia Qianjia has six upper and lower legs, and Jia Qianjia has five upper and lower legs. Rhinoceros armour (a piece made of male rhinoceros skin) can be used for 100 years, rhinoceros armour (a piece made of female rhinoceros skin) can be used for 200 years, and combined armour (a double-layer armour made of male rhinoceros skin and female rhinoceros skin) can be used for 300 years. When making nail clothes, we must first measure people's body shape and cut nails according to their body shape. In the production process, the up-and-down stroke of armor should be weighed. If they have the same weight, they should take the length of armor as their waistline. Taro, as a armor, is not strong if forged, and the skin damage caused by excessive forging will make the armor easy to bend but not strong. The general method of observing the armor is: look at the small holes drilled in the armor plate for threading the wire rope, which should be very small; Look inside the nail plate and scrape it flat and smooth; Look at the seams of armor and align them up and down; Put it in a bag, small in size; Hold it up and spread it out, it should be broad; Wear it on your body, so that the nails won't rub against each other. When you see that the hole in the nail plate is very small, you know that the nail plate is very strong; When you see that the inside of the nail plate is flat and light, you know that the material of the nail plate is good; Seeing that the seam on the armor is straight, you know that the work is good; Put it in a small bag and you will know the exquisiteness of sewing; If you hold it up and spread it wide, it must be bright; The nail plate placed on that body will not wear each other, so it is convenient to move.

It can be seen from the record of Kao Han that the production of ancient armor is very exquisite and complicated, which is an important technology and needs professional skilled workers.

What is the Stone armour unearthed from the Qin Mausoleum like?

1998, archaeologists partially excavated the largest tomb pit in the cemetery wall, with an area exceeding13000m2, 200 meters southeast of the Qinling Mountains. Through trial excavation, 90 stone armor collars, 36 stone rafters and stone vests were excavated. The Stone armour is made of blue-gray karst limestone with fine texture and uniform color. After grinding and drilling, connect with bronze wire. Among them, there are nearly 800 pieces of exquisite stone armor, which are more exquisite than the armor molded on the terracotta warriors and horses, reflecting the highly developed handicraft industry in the Qin Dynasty and the complex and arduous construction of the Qin tomb. The discovery of these stone armour, armor and waistcoat vividly illustrates the position of military protective equipment in Qin Dynasty, makes up for the shortage of armor records in literature, and enriches people's understanding of military problems in Qin Dynasty.

Qin Shiyi (left) and Qin Shiyi's armor (right)

It should be pointed out that these Stone armour wares were only Ming wares made by imitating practical armor, and were not made of stone at that time. Because the stone is not only bulky, but also fragile and not resistant to knocking, the actual protection effect is not good.

It is worth noting that the report about Stone armour unearthed from the Qin Mausoleum in 20 13 is the same as that unearthed in 1998, and there is no new archaeological excavation.