Top 7 famous armors dating back centuries

Throughout history, many unique armors have been designed and used in combat, such as Chinese "fish scale" armor or Japanese samurai armor.

The most famous armors

1. Dendra Armor (3,500 years old)

(Photo: Andreas Flouris/Marija Marković).

The Dendra Armor was unearthed in 1960 at an archaeological site near the village of Dendra in southern Greece. It dates back to around 1,500 BC, during the Mycenaean period. The armor consisted of more than 10 bronze plates tied together with leather straps, protecting the warrior from neck to knees, with additional bronze pieces protecting the shins and arms. The warrior also wore a helmet made of boar teeth.

Barry Molloy, an archaeologist and ancient warfare expert at University College Dublin, once wore an exact replica of the Dendra armor. Another study found that the armor protected the wearer in an 11-hour mock battle inspired by the Trojan War. Molloy said the helmet and large neck guard provided near-perfect protection for the head and neck.

2. King Tut's armor (3,300 years old)

(Photo: Harry Burton).

Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun died as a teenager around 1323 BC. Archaeologists discovered a suit of leather armour in a box when they opened his tomb in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor in 1922. Military training may have been part of the young king's education, and he may have actually worn the armour. It resembled a cloak covering the body, with thousands of small pieces of leather, stacked like fish scales.

Tomb paintings show King Tut wearing such armor while hunting and riding a chariot on the battlefield. However, these may be just figurative depictions and researchers do not think he actually fought.

3. Chinese "fish scale" armor (2,500 years old)

(Photo: Patrick Wertmann).

The armor, made from thousands of small leather pieces, was discovered in a tomb in the Yanghai cemetery on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert. According to research, it was a lightweight, one-size-fits-all garment for a large army. It is unusual for an organic material like leather to survive for so long without rotting. Researchers believe the extremely dry desert environment contributed to its preservation.

The design of the overlapping leather pieces was likely inspired by fish scales, said Patrick Wertmann, an archaeologist at the University of Zurich. He is currently building a replica of the ancient armor to test its functionality and other technical issues.

4. Serbian "lorica squamata" armor (1,700 years old)

(Photo: Sofija Petkovic/Miroslav Vujović).

Because it allowed the wearer greater mobility, scale-style armor was used for centuries. Later examples include the Roman "lorica squamata," meaning "scale armor" in Latin, which was discovered at the archaeological site of Timacum Minus in eastern Serbia.

Today, Roman warriors are best known for their articulated lorica segmentata, but many different types of armor were used throughout history. Scholars believe that the lorica squamata may have represented seniority in the Roman army. Some paintings and sculptures from the period also depict Roman emperors wearing this type of armor.

5. Japanese Yoroi Armor (700 years old)

Armor donated by Ashikaga Takauji to a temple near Kyoto in the 14th century. Photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art/Gift of Bashford Dean/Creative Commons Zero

Samurai were members of the warrior nobility in Japan. They served the imperial court and nobles from the 12th to 19th centuries. During that time, samurai wore various types of armor, but the most famous was probably the ō-yoroi, which means "great armor" in Japanese. They were often worn while riding horses. The armor was made of elaborately decorated iron plates and leather, and later became valuable family heirlooms.

6. Kiribati Armor (300 years old)

(Photo: Auk Archive).

The warriors of the Pacific island nation of Kiribati not only drew inspiration from fish, but actually wore fish armor to protect themselves from weapons. The island had limited resources, so the people made do with what they could, including thick layers of coconut fiber mats and spiked helmets made from dried pufferfish.

This type of armour is most closely associated with Kiribati, but researchers say it was also used on neighboring islands such as Nauru and Tuvalu in ritual duels. According to European missionaries, the use of traditional Kiribati armour began to decline in the 19th century.

7. Ned Kelly's Armor (145 years old)

(Photo: The AGE).

Australian bandit Ned Kelly wore a special suit of armour when he was captured and executed in 1880. According to the State Library of Victoria, where the armour is on display, Kelly and other members of his gang designed the armour in 1879. They then made personal armour from steel ploughshares and wore them to commit a train robbery near the town of Glenrowan in June 1880.

The body armor gave Kelly's gang a psychological advantage during the robbery, but it was also cumbersome. After taking hostages in a local hotel, the robbers donned the armor for a 15-minute gun battle with police. Despite the armor protecting his head and torso, Kelly still suffered several gunshot wounds to his arms and legs, leading to his capture. Kelly's body armor bore the marks of 18 bullets. The other members of the robbers died in the fight.