RomanArmyTalk

Some new dacian items have been discovered in the city of Hunedoara, Hunedoara County, Romania and in a place named Magura Uroiului near the river Mures, also in Hunedoara County, Romania.
The items found in Hunedoara can be seen at an exposition in the Corvinesti Castle.
Most interesting items are a sica dagger, very well preserved and a piece of armor that could be a new type of armor unknown until now. It seems that it is made from spring-like spirals of iron or steel wire, interconnected together, possibly fastened onto a leather backing with rivets and small scale-like pieces of metal (also iron or steel). I will return with more information. The exposition was opened Yesterday and I saw it. Now I will try to find out more from the Museum Curator.

Sounds very interesting. How large were the segments of armour? How large were the "springs"?

Quote:It seems that it is made from spring-like spirals of iron or steel wire, interconnected together

Very interesting indeed! I look forward to more information when you can post it.

Designed for the weapons to bounce off! :wink:

The armor is not in good shape, it is very brittle and the wires are "welded" together by oxidation. It is broken in many small pieces that together form roughly a rectangle about 30 cm in width and 20 cm in height. The largest piece is maybe about 3,5 cm x 2cm. The diameter of the "spring like" spiral is about 5mm and the wire look like 1mm diameter. When I firs looked at it, it resembles a mail shirt but I asked the curator about it and he said that the wires are not cut in separate rings but form a spring-like spiral. I don't know how to explain it but I will draw a sketch...



It forms a sort of mesh...

Ah! I see. Very ingenius.

WOW this looks like a new piece of armour ,so simply a coil of wire threaded through the bottom of a flaterned row of coiled rings then a new row added and flaterned.Screw thread mail D
Regards Brennivs

I'm thinking I might try making a small section of this stuff.

In your drawing, the coils are going in the same direction. Is is possible that the coils were flattened in opposing directions on each row like the weave pattern we see in ring mail?

Yes :oops: the coils are flattened in opposite directions I made that sketch in a hurry and I used the same coil drawing by copy and paste and I forgot to mirror it. This weekend I'll go to the museum at the castle to try and make some photos and maybe to get a copy of the restoration report.

I hate to sound skeptical or maybe a little dense, but it still looks like chain maille to me. And you say there were rivets,too. I saw a lump of
Roman maille recently that you could say the same about if you didn't know what it was. Not saying you're not onto something but I also believe curators can be wrong at first. I'd like to think there's something new out there, though. Just playing Devil's advocate.

Yes, I know. I have seen historians being wrong about technical aspects of armor before so that's why I want to ask permission to see the restoration report and to take close pictures of the item. I promise to keep you informed.

Thanks, Romulus. I'm looking forward to what develops.

(p.s. better be careful in Transylvania this time of year). :wink:

Quote:(p.s. better be careful in Transylvania this time of year). Wink

If you are refering to Werewolves, no problem I know them and they are my friends and vampires are too scared by my fried pepper and garlic salad too pay me a visit

Saddly I havent got any news about that armor I have spoken with a friend (who is a historian and archeologist) that is studying that armor and another fragment of dacian scale armor. He should have come to Hunedoara but he was delayed by unexpected events. I will try again this week.

Quote:

Quote:(p.s. better be careful in Transylvania this time of year). Wink

If you are refering to Werewolves, no problem I know them and they are my friends and vampires are too scared by my fried pepper and garlic salad too pay me a visit

Saddly I havent got any news about that armor I have spoken with a friend (who is a historian and archeologist) that is studying that armor and another fragment of dacian scale armor. He should have come to Hunedoara but he was delayed by unexpected events. I will try again this week.

Have you found any information about the dating of this piece of armour and the scale armour your friend is also studying?

I have news about both armors. The armor at the castle museum is a ring mail, the curator was wrong. The mistake was made because the armor was deliberately cut to pieces with a chisel before it was burned and buried with the corpse of the young warrior wearing it. It is quite strange for a dacian burial but it seems that the armor was ritually "killed" like the Celts usually did with their swords. I said it is strange because the sica dagger that was also in that burial wasn't bent or broken. It was actually in excellent shape and you can still see the decorations on the blade, a sun or a star between two wings.
The armor is riveted mail, the rings are about 5,5-6 mm external diameter and about 4 mm internal diameter, so they are very small rings. It has decorative small plates attached to the mail, some rectangular and some circular.
The other armor is a scale armor and it looks that the scales weren't riveted on leather but attached to each other. I haven't saw that one. It is still in study at the restoration laboratory at the museum in Sibiu as far as I know. I have promises to get pictures of both soon.

thank you! Laudes awarded