Armor Plates from the Excavations of V. V. Radlov in the Collection of the State Historical Museum

Abstract

Purpose. The paper focuses on the armor plates stored in the funds of the State Historical Museum (SHM). They come from the burial mound excavated by V. V. Radlov in the Prichulym region in 1863. Results. The set consists of 30 plates on which the remains of the organic basis of the armor are fixed. All plates of the series have a prominent (tier-like) surface, 29 of them are equipped with five iron rivets located in a cross. Two plates had buckles that tightened the cut of the shell (only one of them is preserved). The inner layer of the organic base of the armor was made of leather, while the outer layer was made of red woolen fabric. The design features make it possible to classify the armor as lamellar-sewn (lamellar-riveted) shells with internal armor, which were known among the Russians and Turks as “kuyak” (from Mong. “Huyag”), and among the Europeans as “brigandine”. Based on the typological analysis carried out, it was established that the plates were made by Oirat or South Siberian craftsmen of the 17th – mid-18th centuries, which is confirmed by the find of the Russian copper coins of the first half of the 17th century in one of the burial mounds. Apparently, the SHM plates did not constitute a self-consistent protective element, but were cut off from a larger piece of armor (presumably a bib or back plate). The armor itself could have been cut in the form of a “cuirass” with one or two lateral cuts. Cut in the form of “cataphracts”, “vest” or swing “robe” is less likely. Conclusion. Plates from the Prichulym region can be used as a standard for dating and attribution of similar plates from the territory of Central Asia and South Siberia.