Evolution of the Byzantine equipment/Kit

[damianlz]

Ave Comes!

I tried posting this online but have not been able to get much help. I was wondering if anyone could fill the gaps, or explain to me what we know about the evolution/development of the Roman soldiers kit after the 5th century CE? I know that at the fall of the west, both sides were using Intercisa/Berkosovo helmets, wearing body chain or scale, with possible manica, solid/ (maybe splint) greaves and an oval scutum with spatha & spear. What about after this?

The cursory evolution I can piece together seems to have germanic style spangenhelms with cheek peices and aventails from 5 - 8th century before just spangenhelms with aventail and then later proto kettle helms. Lorica seems to develop into off torso limited scale but surely mail would have been around. The shields become Tear shaped but I cannot find when, and spathae seem to gain cross guards after the 9th century but I am very open to being mistaken or corrected.

Could anyone help?

[Urselius]

The rise of soft (quilted textile} armour would be a notable development.

[Flavivs Aetivs]

Hmm... I don't know a lot about post-6th century Roman. I'll give you what I know though:

1. Beginning in the mid-5th century Ridge Helmets get phased out, in favor of the new Gothic Baldenheim style. These Baldenheims later get phased out in favor of a variety of helmet styles, mainly Rus, Turkish, or "Byzantine" styles like the Concentric Helmet.

2. Those rounded enlongated kite shields come into use in the 8th century I think. They might be of Steppe Nomad origin considering I'm fairly certain the Khazars and Rus used them, but so did the Normans.

3. Manica seems to fall out of use in the 5th or 6th Centuries. Splint armor comes into use in the 7th century.

4. The big change, as mentioned above, is the increased prevalence of the Kavadion (Padded Quilted Torso Armor) and the Klivanion (Generically "Armor"). Lamellar becomes the dominant armor type after the Avars introduced a more flexible construction that also absorbed shock better. It was also quicker and cheaper to make than Chainmail.

[M. Val. Naso]

1. They actually do not, we see the same forms on depictions until at least the 6th century, with a possibly 6-7th c. dated ridge helmet from Jordan. Though it has a wide strip as a ridge, the idea of the construction is the same. For the 6th century we do see an emergence of Spangen- and Segmenthelms (look at the hoard from Novae, which is more like the Deir el Medineh one). So I would argue for a slower disappearance of ridge helmets and a more vivid selection of later helmets than just the baldenheim type.

2. I haven't seen an almond shaped shield depicted before the 11th century.

3. Yes, but it is so hard to do anything with splint armor because of the obvious lack of sources and finds. I would go for a solid construction instead, like the 3rd c. Künzing one. There is a Khazar greave which enclosed the lower leg completely, solid construction, with hinges. Also, there is another one IIRC of splinted construction, but the splints being horizontal instead of vertical.

For leg defence, the most secure and safe thing to is to wear a sturdy boot. We do have literary evidence, that pants+stockings+boot is even enough for surviving a lion bite.

4. Though we see lamellar surfacing even before the Avars. There is a hoard at Topraichioi from the mid-late 5th c. No idea whether it was hanging though.