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ANCIENT ARMOUR ( SPRING AND AUTUMN THUS THE WARRING STATES PERIOD) Most armour of ancient s, made of leather with a Bamboo frame. Bronze Helmet s were used and were highly decorated. After the defeat of the Shang, the Zhou used many weapons and types of equipment that originally came from the Shang. However, the Zhou incorporated some of their own different or unique styles of armour. One type was the kia, a sleeveless coat of animal hide formed on a wooden dummy. The hide used was of Buffalo and Rhinoceros , buffalo was more often used later on, because of the disappearing of rhinoceros in the region. Another armour used by the Zhou was the kiai, a Boiled Leather on a fabric backing. The Zhou helmet -- like the Shang - was made of bronze, but less decorated. Chariot s were used extensively during the Spring And Autumn Period . The chariots were mainly used as a shock weapon; but chariots were restricted to flat terrain and when used against well organized Infantry , it was often defeated. Chariot use declined during the Warring States Period, probably because of the introdution of Crossbow and Cavalry . Zhou chariots were protected by leather, and sometimes came with a canopy to protect the crew, but this was probably removed before going into battle. Chariot Horses were protected by animal Skin s -- most popular was Tiger skin. The production of Weapon s was, in most states, control by central government. The most popular weapon of the time was the Sword . For this reason, most armour was made to protect against slashing attack. Spears , Dagger-axe s and many other weapons were used, but were consider inferior to the sword in close combat. Another weapon that was used was the crossbow, which had a range of 600 paces. To counteract this, shields were used to counter the threat of the crossbow. The shields were mostly made of leather and wood, and varied in sizes. The metal that was used most for military purpose was bronze. Wrought iron begun to appear in the 5th century BC, but didn’t begin to replace bronze until the 2nd century BC. Most of the Warring States maintained large armies, numbering anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000. With such a large number of men, it became prohibitive to give all of them armor. Armour was most common for ''elite'' soldiers. Some Terracotta Warriors wear no armour; it is suggested that these were skirmishers or support troops for the chariots. Traces of paint that were found on Qin terracotta warriors suggesting that the Qin used iron armour and weapons. The terracotta warriors also showed a wide variety of armour used by the Qin, which included leather and bronze. Examples of armour from the ancient China are rare. Qin Shi Huang ordered weapons, and probably armour too, to be burnt. That might be the reason for so few extant examples of ancient armour. Medieval Armour Han thus the Tang dynasty Chinese armour developments in Medieval times began with the fall of the Qin dynasty in 207 BC and the rise of the Han dynasty in 202 BC. The early Han army numbered possibly in the hundreds of thousands, so armour was standardized to meet the need. One of the armours used by the Han was the ''liang-tang'', or "double-faced armour", a Lamellar Cuirass usually made of Leather , but which could also be made from metal, which was worn over the shoulder with a strap. This armour was used by both the infantry and the cavalry. A much heavier and expensive version, consisted of iron plates laced together, was worn by officers. The infantry were armed with a great variety of weapons, which included sword, spear, Halberd , and crossbow. The Cavalry were similarly armed, but used smaller crossbows compared to the infantry, which could be used mounted. Shields continued to be used, mostly made of wood or metal. Some sources suggest that the Han placed infantrymen with large heavy shields in front, while crossbowmen and archers were deployed behind them. As they marched, the front ranks repelled attacks, as the rear constantly showered the enemy, but this formation must have been rare. Armour for horses began to appear around the end of the Han dynasty, but the earliest armour found dates back to 302 AD. Full armour for cavalry appeared during the 4th century AD. During the . Most cavalry served as mounted archers, and sometimes remove their arm protection to used their bows or crossbows. By the time of the Han, the primary metal used was iron. But bronze weapons and armour continued to be used for some time. LATE CHINESE ARMOUR By the 19th century, most armour was worn mainly for ceremonial purposes and was an indicator of rank. The kind of armour that was largely used was the s, skirting, underarm, and groin section. By contrast, the Korea n version of this armour is a single piece. Brigandines were first seen in China and Korea in the 12th Century AD and were used up to the 19th Century . Armour use began to decline after the introduction of Firearms , but shields continued to be used. Most Chinese soldiers of the times went without armour of any kind and mostly wore civilian clothing. REFERENCE Men-at-arms/ Ancient Chinese Armies Men-at-arms / Late Imperial Chinese Armies EXTERNAL LINKS |
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