Mail armour ranks among the more unusual inventions of the Iron Age. Its
construction consists of interlocking wire rings, each closed with a rivet,
forge-welded, or punched from metal sheet to achieve maximum strength. Ever
since its adoption by Celtic warriors and the Roman legions, it remained the
most important type of metal defences worn in Europe for almost two millennia.
Due to its unique
properties, mail survives in limited use even today – in the shape of butcher
gloves and aprons, anti-stab inserts in ‘bulletproof’ vests, or dive suits
resistant to shark bites.
The exhibition presents newly conserved mail defences
otherwise kept in the museum’s storage, while shedding light on the forgotten
techniques of their manufacture rediscovered by means of experimental
reconstructions.
Exhibition authors: Tomaž Lazar, Zala Uršič, Nataša Nemeček
Conservation-restoration: Zala Uršič
Design:
Tomaž Lazar
Technical assistance: Hamid Koso