Maille During the Time of Darius I

[MeinPanzer]

I wish we could see the front to know how it closed. The tube and yoke is such a simple form that I would be wary assuming that it had a single origin and spread from there. Especially when we see so much variation from the Greek norm as in this one.

In this respect, the design is deceptively simple, though. The tube-and-yoke actually has a fairly unique design if you take into consideration its characteristics. They are:

1) A tube body.

2) Two loose, roughly rectangular shoulder yokes which are tied down at the front.

3) A rectangular neckguard.

4) Pteruges.

5) A separate backboard which is attached to 1) and from which comes 2) and 3).

Of course some of these elements are not always present (such as 5, which sometimes is either not shown clearly on representations or was left out) or are not present in the same qualities or quantities; but if you accept that most of the time they do, and if you take these aspects together, you realize that it is pretty hard to chance upon this particular design. Take, for instance, Chinese armour (which, I think, we may safely say has had almost no influence placed upon it from Graeco-Roman sources). One very well-preserved example comes from the tomb of Lui Xiang, who was the King of Qi who died c. 179 BC:

http://antiquemilitaryhistory.com/images/qiarmour.jpg

Now, this suit almost looks as if it could have emerged under tube-and-yoke influence, but it lacks many of the main characteristics:

1) Has a tube body.

2) Has two rectangular shoulder yokes, but only one is loose, as was the norm with Chinese cuirasses since the 3rd c. BC.

3) No rectangular neckguard.

4) Has an area of scales imbricated differently below the waist to allow for more flexibility, but it is one solid area, and not many strips like pteruges.

5) No backboard.

So it really only qualifies in one, maybe two categories.

Here's another, from the tomb of Zhao Mo, who died between 122 and 117 BC and was the king of Nanyue in southern China:

http://antiquemilitaryhistory.com/image ... armour.jpg

1) Tube body.

2) Two rectangular shoulder yokes but, again, only one is loose.

3) No neckguard.

4) Nothing even resembling pteruges.

5) No backboard.

And on top of that, organic armour of the Greek style (whether linen or leather) is not found. So the tube-and-yoke is actually pretty complex and hard to chance upon, and I think it's pretty safe to assume a single origin for it.