\"Tube and yoke\" hamata?

[Crispvs]

The Greeks may well have encountered mail before the Romans. When Polybius is describing the equipment of Roman soldiers in the 130s BC, he mentions that most legionaries wore a pectoral plate (their 'heart protector', which he describes in detail) but some of the wealthier soldiers had shirts of Celtic mail (which he does not describe). The fact that he does not describe what mail is, strongly suggests that he expected a Greek speaking audience to already be familiar with the concept of mail. This has led many to suggest that soldiers in the Hellenistic armies of the Successor states may commonly have worn mail themselves.

A Greek familiarity with mail would hardly be surprising, given both that the great trading city of Massillia was located in southern Gaul, and that there was a thriving Gallic state in central Anatolia (Galatia) which had been established by the Gallic tribes which had sacked Rome in 390BC and then rolled through the Hellenistic world before settling down to drunken rowdiness in the middle of the civilised world. Dying Gauls were popular subject matter for artists in other parts of Asia. It would be fair to say that the Hellenistic Greek world was all too familiar with Gauls and many (especially those in the upper classes and who could expect to be familiar with military matters) would have been well aware of how they kitted themselves out for combat as many Galatians appear to have served as mercenaries. If anything, the Romans came late to the practice of using mail.

Getting back to the mail shirt in your picture, it appears to be made from galvanised rings. As the Romans did not use galvanised iron, it is probably best avoided, as galvanising sticks out a mile.

Crispvs