Archery vs. mail

[Matthew Amt]

Probably your best bet is to buy a few issues of Erik Schmid's Mail Research Society journal. VERY few people have done really in-depth studies of mail, which is a big part of the problem. Oh, there is another article which studies some metallurgy and other details of a few samples, should be a link to it on my Hamata page:<br>
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www.larp.com/legioxx/hamata.html<br>
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From what Erik has been kind enough to tell me, Roman mail is a bit different from later medieval mail. The solid rings (in alternating rows with the riveted ones) are punched from sheet iron--the burrs caused by the punches were still clearly visible on one sample he examined! The riveted rings were usually not as flattened as on later medieval mail, but left round in section or just partly flattened. The rivets seem to be round, but apparently were at least sometimes square in section though the hole was round! I think they were peened to a dome on both sides, but might have been flattened on the inside sometimes.<br>
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The part that drove Erik craziest when he made his most recent sample was that the ring ends overlapped left over right (when held with the joint at the top), rather than right over left as in Medieval mail. He kinda had to work left-handed from what he was used to!<br>
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Erik was able to examine several original pieces in England, and said they were startlingly consistent in construction and ring size (c. 7 mm outside diameter). They were also made the same general way as much other Roman equipment: quickly and crappily!<br>
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Most of this I got from one or two phone discussions with him, and hopefully I'm remembering the details correctly! Always makes me twitchy to try making some, have to slap myself.<br>
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Valete,<br>
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Matthew/Quintus <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

Thanks Matthew.<br>
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This article:<br>
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home.armourarchive.org/me...%e4rvi.pdf<br>
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was very informative and taught me what I needed to know.<br>
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Rich K. <p></p><i></i>

[Crispvs]

Just a small note on rivets. When I looked closely at the mail shirt found at South Shields it was obvious that many of the rivits had been lost, leaving a number of rings slightly open. Judging by the state of preservation of the other observable rivets I would have to conclude that the missing rivets were lost prior to the shirt's deposition. I don't know what bearing this has on the discussion at hand but I thought it might be usefull to drop it in here.<br>
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Crispvs <p></p><i></i>