🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <9301112145.AA13576@math.bu.edu>, jeffs@math.bu.EDU (Jeff Suzuki) writes:
  
    stuff deleted...
|> 
|> 
|> To some extent.  The problem is that the romantic versions come from a
|> lot of different time periods, and most artists (e.g., writers) simply
|> transplanted their own neighbors (so to speak) back in time; i.e.,
|> they were being (gasp) inauthentic.  E.g., the historical Arthur
|> probably didn't wear chain mail, given that it was't around in 5th (?)
|> century Britain.  ....more deleted....

The technology was certainly in existence.
I don't have any references on this specific time period, but chainmail was
used extensively by the Roman's (I seem to recall that they learned to make it
from the Celts when they first invaded central Europe, but the mind grows
less nimble with the passing years).  I would not be surprised if there are
extant pieces of mail from this period.  Although it might not be unreasonable
to expect a historical Arthur to have worn mail (a byrnie of sorts
perhaps, forget the Roman term - Lorica somethingorother), it is unlikely that
he would have had access to the full suits of the Middle ages.  I do not know
whether or not the Arthurian romances contain any blatantly anachronistic armour
descriptions.  Non-specific references to mail or helms would not necessarily
be inauthentic.

Cheers, Balderik