Armour of the Cataphractarius from the " Roshava Dragana " Burial Mound (original) (raw)
Related papers
Sarmatian Armour According to Narrative and Archaeological Data
Arms and Armour as Indicators of Cultural Transfer: The Steppes and the Ancient World from Hellenistic Times to the Early Middle Ages. Ed. by M. Mode, J. Tubach, S. G. Vashalomidze. Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, 2006. P. 433–444. (Nomaden und Sesshafte. Bd. 4).
Rabovyanov, Dimitrov-Western European Armour from Bulgaria.pdf
In this article is presented foreign armour found on the territory of present-day Bulgaria. These materials have analogies in museum collections, archaeological finds and art works from Central and Western Europe. The presented finds include helmet from the fortress of Pernik from the second half of 12th c., helmet of the bascinet type found near Uzana from the second part of XIV c., a visor from another bascinet, kept in the Historical museum of Tyrnovo from the end of XIV c., helmet’s visor from the first half of XV c. from the museum of Kardjali, coat of plates found in the Royal Palace of Tarnovgrad, dated from 20s to the 40s of 14th c., another coat of plates, probably from the first decades of XIV c. found in the fortress of Nicopole, and also mail „bishop’s mantle” and chapel de fer helmet from the first half of 15th c., found in Northeast Bulgaria. The conclusion is that armour and other weapons with Western European origin have far important appearance in the Second Bulgarian Kingdom than it was thought before. Obviously the eclectical warfare of the Bulgarian state characterised as a mixture of Balkan and Steppe military traditions was wide open for arms and armour with western origin. This is typical for the 14th c., but we have indications for it in the second part of 12th c., even before the resurrection of the Bulgarian Kingdom. Weaponry with western origin appeared in Bulgaria in different ways. Available data lead us to think of weapon trade, foreign mercenaries, military clashes with enemies using Western European tactics, and in the end of the period with Crusades againt the Ottomans. Some of the presented armour can be connected to particular historical events. In others we do not have such clear connections, but they help us to see the Bulgarian warrior from another point of view that represents him more „western” than was thought before.
The Armour of the Thracian Warriorsan Archaeometrical Approach
Archaeologia Bulgarica ХХVII, 1, 2023
The elemental composition of the original metal alloys of the armour of Thracian warriors was determined using a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. The archaeological breastplates date from the late 6 th to 5 th c. BC and are of two types: bronze and bimetallic (iron and bronze). Original metal alloys used by ancient craftsmen to produce specific items were characterized based on the concentrations of 24 chemical elements. The results indicate that for the production of cuirasses, tin bronzes well purified from lead and bismuth has been used. However, the decoration elements and some spare parts (used for armour repair) have also been made of specific alloys.
The article discusses a helmet found in 1968 in a mountainous village of Yarysh-Mardy situated on the river Argun in the north-eastern Caucasus. The helmet was often associated with the Golden Horde period, which according to the author seems highly unlikely. On the basis of a detailed comparative analysis, the author puts forward a thesis of dating the object to either the late-Sasanid or early-Islamic period, i.e. to late 6th - beginning of 8th c. AD. Specifically, it is suggested that the appearance of the helmet in the Caucasus may be attributed to the time of Byzantine-Sasanid conflicts taking place at the turn of 6th and 7th c. AD. Additionally, the article argues that in the late Sasanid period a new sub-type of helmets came into existence, namely the ones with straight spangs and ones with spiky rivets. Furthermore, it is proposed that the Yarysh-Mardy helmet bears certain correspondences to similar finds from Groningen and Bremen.
Communicationes Archaeologicae Hungaricae , 2019
In the 6th–7th century, elites of Eastern Europe and the Carpathian Basin used similar objects to represent their power – mainly the swords with P-shaped suspension loops and horse harnesses. Of the latter, this paper concerns saddles, to the pommel of which a rectangular piece of chainmail was installed, often further ornamented with bronze and silver fittings. The artifact from Szentes-Lapistó, originally described by Dezső Csallány as a “neck-covering net” can be identified as one of these ornaments.