Dacian scale armour on Trajan's column.

Coat covered with the gold decorated scales of the pangolin. India, Rajasthan, early 19th Century.

Scale armour (armor), Lorica squamata. Jazerant, Jazeraint or Leaf Mail (sometimes erroneously called scale mail) consists of many small scales attached to a backing material of either leather or cloth. It is similar to lamellar armour but distinguished by the presence of the backing material. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (791x1048, 126 KB) Summary From the cast of Trajans column in the Victoria and Albert museum, London. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (791x1048, 126 KB) Summary From the cast of Trajans column in the Victoria and Albert museum, London. ... Alternate meanings: see Dacia (disambiguation) Dacia, in ancient geography the land of the Daci or Getae, was a large district of Central Europe, bounded on the north by the Carpathians, on the south by the Danube, on the west by the Tisa (Tisza river, in Hungary), on the east by... Trajans Column is a monument in Rome raised by Apollodorus of Damascus at the order of the Senate. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1200x1600, 618 KB) On display at the Royal Armouries, Leeds. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1200x1600, 618 KB) On display at the Royal Armouries, Leeds. ... Species Manis culionensis Manis gigantea Manis temminckii Manis tricuspis Manis tetradactyla Manis crassicaudata Manis pentadactyla Manis javanica Pangolins (pronounced ) or scaly anteaters are mammals in the order Pholidota. ... , Rājasthān (DevanāgarÄ«: राजस्थान, IPA: )   is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that Textile be merged into this article or section. ... Japanese Samurai Odoshi Armor. ...

The material used to make the scales varied and included: bronze, iron, rawhide, leather, cuir bouilli and horn. The variations are primarily the result of material availability. Assorted ancient Bronze castings found as part of a cache, probably intended for recycling. ... For other uses, see Iron (disambiguation). ... Rawhide is a hide or animal skin that has not been exposed to tanning and thus is much lighter in color than treated animal hides. ... Modern leather-working tools Leather is a material created through the tanning of hides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. ... Boiled leather, sometimes called cuir bouilli, was historically a popular construction material for armour. ... Highland cow, a very old long-horned breed from Scotland. ...

During Roman times scale armour (lorica squamata) was a popular alternative to mail (lorica hamata) as it offered better protection, especially against blunt damage. It was also widely used in Middle Eastern empires such as Persia and Byzantium. In these areas scales were commonly dished (an armouring term used to describe hammering a depression into a flat piece of metal in order to create a 'bowl' effect) in order to benefit from the extra protection offered by a rounded scale. Roman scale armour fragment. ... David rejects the unaccustomed armour (detail of fol. ... Detail of metal links. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... “Persia” redirects here. ... “Byzantine” redirects here. ...

Scale armour offers better protection from blunt attacks than mail . It is also cheaper to produce^{[citation needed]}, but it isn't as flexible and doesn't offer the same amount of coverage. Forms other than brigandine and coat of plates were uncommon in medieval Europe, but scale and lamellar remained popular elsewhere. A brigandine, a form of body armour, is a cloth garment, generally canvas, lined with small oblong steel plates riveted to the fabric. ... A coat of plates (also known in the European Middle Ages as a pair of plates[1]) is a form of torso armour consisting of metal plates sewn or riveted to a cloth or leather backing. ...

Modern forms of scale armour are sometimes worn for decorative or LARP purposes, and may be made from materials such as steel, aluminium, or even titanium. “Larp” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Steel (disambiguation). ... “Aluminum” redirects here. ... General Name, symbol, number titanium, Ti, 22 Chemical series transition metals Group, period, block 4, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Standard atomic weight 47. ...

A new take on this type of armor is the Dragon Skin body armor which uses modern fabric and ceramic plates to protect against modern ammunition. Dragon Skin is a type of body armor made by Pinnacle Armor. ...

See also

• Lorica plumata with scales attached to a backing of mail
• Lamellar armour which consists of scales laced together such as the klibanion
• A brigandine which consists of scales riveted inside a backing of leather or cloth.
• A coat of plates which consists of larger plates riveted onto a backing of leather or cloth.