Early Korean lacquered "shining armour" found

[Duncan Head]

An interesting find from last year is reported at http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~ekp/news/20111012-KongsanArmor.html.

It is lacquered leather lamellae apparently of the type called "shining armour", dated to 645 AD by a Chinese inscription.

cheers,
Duncan

[Patrick Waterson]

And the first ever found, it seems, plus it is in amazingly good condition.

Patrick

[Jim Webster]

I suppose leather, in waterlogged soil, with no oxygen, will probably outlast steel

Jim

[tadamson]

The lacquer has blackened with time though.  Reconstructions give a sort of dark bronze colour, very pretty for troops.

Tom..

[Duncan Head]

I did wonder if that was the original shade. Are any of the colour reconstructions online?

[tadamson]

I cant think of any on line, but this one re a Chu tomb has some:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305440311001890

[Duncan Head]

Interesting, thanks.

Incidentally, I noticed that the Paekche "shining armour" is mentioned in Schafer's Golden Peaches of Samarkand,  where he implies it is brightly-polished iron armour. I suppose that's the most natural interpretation until the stuff actually turns up, made of leather!