Armor of the Divine Triad : lamellar armor

[daryush]

I have a feeling that this is two-hole lamellar, such as that found at Old Nisa (3rd - 2nd C BC) and Toglok Tappeh (6th - 7th C AD). I have reconstructed a cuirass based on those finds, and I don't think such lamellar was able to taper at the waist - likely it is artistic depiction. It is quite easy to lace this system without any sort of backing.

The only way, in my experience, to get lamellar to taper at the waist is to make hanging lamellar, where there is some slack in the vertical lacing. My main Sasanian cuirass is built with hanging lamellar (using an 8-hole plate, such as those depicted on Taq-e-Bostan and found at Kobadian) and it is possible to get the tailored profile with that.

Of course, nothing to say that the warriors couldn't have used lamellae of differing sizes and shapes around the waist to achieve that shape ... but it seems like a lot of hassle for not that much benefit.

You can put large holes for fastenings in two-hole lamellar (speaking from experience), as the lacing is only at the ends of each lamella, so a hole anywhere in the middle of the lamella doesn't interrupt the lacing.