iron cuirass

[TVV]

I just saw this one as I was browsing Waffen aus Zentral-Afrika. Not much info given, other than the Fulbe attribution. According to the description, the edge is trimmed in leather and there is cloth padding on the inside. It was collected by Steinkopf prior to 1914.

[Iain]

Originally Posted by TVV

I just saw this one as I was browsing Waffen aus Zentral-Afrika. Not much info given, other than the Fulbe attribution. According to the description, the edge is trimmed in leather and there is cloth padding on the inside. It was collected by Steinkopf prior to 1914.

Thanks Teodor, there are another two at least in Germany the Bremen museum (this might be one of them?).

Photo is courtesy of Wolf.

I am not sure where the one from Stone has ended up.

With mine, the next step is going to be a deep cleaning, some exploratory work has revealed that there is in fact extensive dark rust with red rust hiding underneath. So its going to get a good going over with metal -de-corroder and then a polish.

[Iain]

Just a small update, my cuirass has had a bit of a better clean and wax. Quite pleased with the result!

[Kubur]

Beautifull!
it's amazing to see how the Roman armour lorica segmenta survived in sub saharan Africa probably through transsaharan roads..

[Iain]

Originally Posted by Kubur

Beautifull!
it's amazing to see how the Roman armour lorica segmenta survived in sub saharan Africa probably through transsaharan roads..

The construction is quite different. There's no evidence I'm aware of there's a relation.

[Kubur]

Originally Posted by Iain

The construction is quite different. There's no evidence I'm aware of there's a relation.

mmmm do you expect an exact replica done by Africans South of the Sahara, more than 1000 years after the end of the Roman Empire?

It's well accepted that tabouka and kaskara are African weapons inspired by Medieval swords... But we don't have any proof...

It's the same with the cuirass, it'll be very difficult to prove that they are not or they are inspired by Roman armour...

[Iain]

Originally Posted by Kubur

mmmm do you expect an exact replica done by Africans South of the Sahara, more than 1000 years after the end of the Roman Empire?

It's well accepted that tabouka and kaskara are African weapons inspired by Medieval swords... But we don't have any proof...

It's the same with the cuirass, it'll be very difficult to prove that they are not or they are inspired by Roman armour...

The difference is we can make a case for the "when" and the "how" for the kaskara and the takouba taking influence from Mamluk and outside sources includes details of trade routes, political and trade contact between states, physical trips by African monarchs through Egypt etc. The same for lifida armour, the horses used by the local cavalries etc.

The problem I have with making any connection to Roman armour is that the Kanuri and Kanembu peoples who made up the Bornu empire were geographically and in terms of a timeline far removed from any Roman presence in North Africa. Otherwise any assumed Roman influence is merely a case of seeing a rough visual similarity, an argument no stronger than the Victorian assumption the kaskara was derived from the swords of Crusaders or that certain forms of daggers and swords seen in Cameroon are derived from the Celts...