why did breastplates disappear from late antiquity until late medieval times?
Because producing large sheets of iron is almost impossible without a blast furnace.
>>17435987was iron/steel chain mail really better than bronze plate?
>>17435987but you are looking at a large sheet of metal in the op. in fact meds produced armor from large sheets of metal for a thousand years at that point
>>17435992What kind of metal dumb cunt?
>>17435992Slithered away in shame have you? Stupid cunt. Fucking worthless shit for brains.
>>17436019>>17436121dumb fucking neanderthal, I have life outside of 4cuck so pardon my late reply, nigger. here`s the iron cuirass of alexanders daddy, now sod off.
>>17435972Because the chronological interval between late antiquity and late medieval didn't actually exist
>>17436196>Made out of many SMALL strips of iron>only one of its kind ever discoveredShit for brains running down your nose.
>>17435991>was iron/steel chain mail really better than bronze plate?It was something even better it was [spoiler]cheaper[/spoiler].
>>17435972Eastern Romans and even some Franks still had some access to these breastplates, usually higher-ranking officers of the realm, but the look had fallen out of fashion for one reason or another by the High Middle Ages. It is possible that the last Roman Emperor wore a breastplate similar to this in 1453.
>>17435972>>17435972Armors from antiquity were constrained by labour. Most states didn't have drop forges or water powered metal industries or furnaces hot enough to melt iron. Late Medieval Europe had all three. Romans could certainly produce massive quantities of metal and case harden them but it was thin, and thin enough to be rolled. Bronze is also relatively soft compared to steel so overlapped construction with iron such as maille and lamellar would be much more protective. Ancient Chinese and Indian furnaces reached much higher temperatures at the time and the Indians (supposedly) made incredible steel relative to that specific period known as seric steel. But they also never dabbled in making cuirasses. The Chinese made incredibly thick scales with them (6mm overlapped) but they weren't common. Sogdic people might have? But we only have artistic interpretations. Korean and Japanese also used breastplates from the 3rd to the 8th century until it was replaced by lamellar. It was again, quite thin from what we know. These ones are very interesting because they also have that bell cuirasses shape for resting onto hips as well as a Scythian style backplate from time to time.
>>17436196Wow this looks amazing for a 2000 years old armour
>>17437140I forgot how the indians did it but the Chinese cast steel was just a thing you can do in China but not anywhere else. The heating period took about a week. You've read right. You've had gigantic crucible with the furnace that has fire set under it and maintained for an entire week, constantly adding fuel as it was burning out. And the fuel was charcoal so that's something that requires further burning to make and so on and so on. The amount of labour needed to make this stuff was just astronomical but when you're the Chinese empire with a population of a continent you can afford that labour.
