The objective of such armor was to protect the wearers organs from lots of types of attacks without restricting their movement. Dated to around 2,700 years earlier, the armor consists of about 5,444 smaller sized scales and 140 larger scales, which together with leather laces and lining weighed between 4 and 5 kg (about 9 to 11 lbs).
Technological transfer
So far, so great– its a striking piece of armor and archaeologists were enjoyed discover it. However heres the thing: it highly looks like another set of armor from that time, one that presently depends on the Met Museum in New York City and was discovered in the Neo-Assyrian Empire.
The ancient leather scale armor might be dated to the duration in between 786 and 543 BC. Image credits: D.L. Xu, P. Wertmann, M. Yibulayinmu.
In the remote Yanghai cemetery near Turfan, Northwest China, a group of archaeologists discovered an amazing artifact in 2013: an almost total piece of leather scale armor dating back to the 7th century BCE. The armor originated from the burial place of a 30-year-old male warrior. Thanks to the locations very dry climate, the burial place was wonderfully preserved– consisting of a piece of armor that hints at ancient technological trades.
The design and building and construction of the Yanghai armor bears a striking resemblance to Assyrian armor from the very same period. This recommends an interesting cultural exchange, where military innovation from the Assyrian Empire, a dominant force in the Near East, discovered its method to China. This exchange alters our understanding of ancient Eurasian connections, exposing a more interconnected world than formerly thought.
Researchers think this kind of armor later became part of basic military devices, revealing an impressive technological transfer.
In ancient times, armor would have been extremely valuable. Scale armors, in specific, would have just been booked for the elite– and purchasing buried in one was an advantage extremely few might pay for. Other kinds of armor, such as leather armor, also did a pretty good task, and were less pricey.
” The armor was professionally produced in large numbers,” says Patrick Wertmann, study author. With the increasing use of chariots in Middle Eastern warfare, unique armor for horsemen was established from the 9th century BCE. This armor later became part of the standardized equipment of military forces of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, which extended from parts of present-day Iraq to Iran, Syria, Turkey and Egypt.
Its not clear how precisely the technological transfer was made, however it was impactful.<