Klibanion

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In the Byzantine Empire, a klibanion was a lamellar armor characteristic of the Eastern Roman armed forces . The name comes from the Latin word clibanarius for a heavily armored cavalryman , which over time was transferred to this piece of armor. It was a popular standard tank, especially in the Middle Byzantine period.

Description and origin

Representation of Emperor Basil II. , Of a gilded klivanion bears

A Klibanion was composed of elongated to almost square slats, which were mostly made of metal, but sometimes also of horn or leather . These were interwoven with the neighboring lamellas above and next to them by wire or leather cords that passed through small holes in the plates, thus forming a self-supporting and relatively rigid network. A special distinguishing feature compared to the normal scale armor is the fact that the lamellas of the Klibanion open upwards and not downwards. In addition, he lacked the leather underlay typical of most scale armor on which the scales are attached. This special type of lamellar armor is often ascribed to the Avars , from whom the Byzantines took over numerous pieces of equipment in the 6th and 7th centuries, especially for the cavalry.

commitment

The Klibanion is a pretty good compromise between mobility and optimal protection. Although it does not offer as rigid resistance to an attack as plate armor , for example , it is stiff enough to offer greater protection than chain armor . Another advantage is its airiness, which should have been particularly noticeable in the hot climates of Syria and Asia Minor . It was probably also relatively inexpensive to manufacture because of the relatively few parts and the simple assembly. Because of its relatively low flexibility, this type of armor was usually only worn on the chest and stomach (that is, as a cuirass ) and usually had no sleeves, the limbs and the head were protected by other equivalent armor. In the Byzantine army, a tube made of metal strips similar to the Klibanion seems to have been common to protect the limbs, which was also held together by wire or the like. The Klibanion was often combined with leather or fabric lining or with chain mail on the more flexible areas of the body, and a Klibanion was often worn over chain mail. The tank was apparently widely used by both heavy infantry and heavy cavalry and was one of the standard items of equipment of the Byzantine army. Illustrations suggest that the armored saddlecloths for the horses of the Byzantine heavy cavalry ( Kataphrakten and klibanophoroi ) were similar in design to the Klibanion. The Klibanion apparently remained in use until the late Middle Ages .

literature

See also