Ethno-cultural features in the fashioning of iron plates for lamellar armour

In this article ways of fashioning iron plates for lamellar armour are discussed. It involved materials from sites of the 9 th century BC to the 13 th century AD in various parts of Asia. The description of the plates focuses on such parameters as their shape and size and the number of holes. Types of plates are identified typical of specific ethnic groups: Assyrians, Huns, Chinese, Syan-bi, Turkic groups, Kirghiz, and also for a number of archaeological cultures including the Bulan-Koba and Srostki cultures (Figs 1; 2). Questions are discussed relating to the origin of lamellar plates, the chronology of their various types and also to the influence of ethno-cultural factors in the way they developed.