Elephant armor

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Elephant armor
Stratford Armories Elephant.jpg
Information
Weapon type: Protective weapon
Designations: Elephant armor, pakhar, elephant armor
Use: armor
Region of origin /
author: 		India ( Mughal Empire ), Persian Empire , armourers
Distribution: India, Persia
Weight: Depending on the version about 136 kg
Lists on the subject

The elephant armor ind . Pakhar or Engl . Elephant Armor , is a protective weapon for war elephants from India and the Persian Empire .

description

The elephant armor is made of steel , leather and fabric . In different countries and times, the type of armor was different. The first reports of armored war elephants date back to 1500 BC. From Syria and the China of the Shang Dynasty (1623 to 1123 BC). The most advanced armor of this type originated in India due to the continued use of war elephants there until the 19th century .

Lamellar armor

The lamellar armor consists of a mixture of chain and lamellar armor and also parts of plate armor ("mail and plate"). It is made of various, separate parts that can be joined together to form an overall armor covering the body of the elephant. The back armor consists of four individual parts, each protecting a leg and part of the animal's side. The large head armor is in two parts. One part covers the head and ears, another part covers the neck and jaw from below. The entire shell is padded with fabric so that the metal parts do not damage the sensitive skin of the elephant. The head armor consists completely of a lamellar armor with cutouts for the eyes. The tusks and part of the trunk are exposed. The elephant armor on display in the Royal Armories in Leeds is the only one of its kind that has been fully preserved. The armor is composed of 8000 lamellar parts, which are connected with chain armor and consists of over 100,000 chain rings. She weighs 136 kilograms (300  lbs ). The head armor consists of 2000 lamellas, the neck guard consists of 1000 lamellas and weighs 11.34 kilograms (25 lbs). The workshops of the “Royal Armories” have tried to research the production techniques and the time required using the tank exhibited in the museum.

Versions

In the Battle of Magnesia , the heads of the elephants were armored with metal strips or some kind of helmet. Other war elephants were equipped with a kind of tower (also howdah ) on their backs, in which several warriors could find space. With some armor, an additional protective device in the form of a shield for the rider was attached to the head armor of the elephant , which protected him and still offered a good view. Two warriors sit on the elephant in battle. One sits on the neck of the elephant ( mahout ) and steers him, the other on top of his back. This served as a javelin thrower and defended the elephant in a close attack with a lance or a bow . As firearms became popular, small-caliber cannons were also attached to the Howdah. In other writings, armor is mentioned that consisted of heavy fabrics or leather, which also covered the eyes of the elephant and were weighed down with weights, as well as versions consisting completely of chain armor, or in designs in the manner of a brigantine or as plate or scale armor are worked. The various armors are also made as pomp or parade versions, which are not intended for use in combat.

An elephant armor made of plate armor can be seen in the "Stratford Armories" in Stratford-upon-Avon , Warwickshire , England (see web links). This armor consists of a pushed plate pant that covers about three quarters of the trunk, as well as a head armor that protects the forehead and the top of the head. The earmuffs, which consist of plate and chain armor, are attached to the side of the head armor. They are movably attached to follow the movements of the ears. The knees and thighs are also armored. The back armor consists of chain armor in the upper part and plate armor in the lower part.

Defense and attack weapons

In addition to armor, the war elephants were equipped with weapons that were attached to their tusks or held in their trunks. ( Elephant Dha ). The traveler Sungun also reported on other weapons that were used as weapons for elephants. He mentioned sickles , clubs and pieces of chain that were attached to or grasped by the trunk. H. Russell Robinson mentions in his book "Oriental Armor" that the tusk tips were provided with metal ( tusk sword ) ("... and the tusks of the beasts were tipped with metal points")

Individual evidence

  1. ^ William Irvine: The Army of the Indian Moghuls: Its Organization and Administration. In: Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland. Cambridge University Press, 1896, p. 569, JSTOR 25207795 .
  2. ^ John M. Kistler, Richard Lair: War Elephants , University of Nebraska Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0-8032-6004-7 , page 8.
  3. ^ Website of the Royal Armories, accessible online, (English, accessed on February 25, 2011) ( Memento of July 16, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ).
  4. ↑ Report on the elephant armor in the Royal Armories in Leeds with interviews by Thom Richardson, responsible for the oriental exhibits in the Royal Armories, report from the History Channel on You Tube, available online, (accessed February 25, 2011) .
  5. ^ A b Bezalel Bar-Kochva: Judas Maccabaeus: The Jewish Struggle Against the Seleucids , Cambridge University Press, 2002, ISBN 978-0-521-01683-4 , page 334, section 43.
  6. ↑ Konstantin Nossov: War Elephants. Osprey Publishing, 2008, ISBN 978-1-84603-268-4 , page 17.
  7. ↑ John M. Kistler, Richard Lair: War Elephants. University of Nebraska Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0-8032-6004-7 , p. 211.
  8. ↑ Konstantin Nossov: War Elephants. Osprey Publishing, 2008, ISBN 978-1-84603-268-4 , page 16.
  9. ^ H. Russell Robinson: Oriental Armor. Courier Dover Publications, 2002, ISBN 978-0-486-41818-6 (Reprint), pp. 69, 119.

literature

  • Gayatri Nath Pant: Horse and elephant armor. Agam Kala Prakashan Publishing House, 1997, ISBN 978-81-7320-006-9 .
  • William Irvine: The Army of the Indian Moghuls: Its Organization and Administration. READ BOOKS publishing house, 2008, ISBN 978-1-4437-7378-2 (reprint).
  • National Museum of India, Swarajya Prakash Gupta: Masterpieces from the National Museum collection. National Museum Publishing House, 1985.

Web links