Origin of the lorica squamata

[Alanus]

To Dan Howard and those who might be interested, :-)

I have taken the same stance as Gimbutas, Mallory, and Anthony. Whether it's lorica squamata or lamellar or plate, the primary function was probably established prior to metal. Even the shifting basis of warfare and the emergance of the "general" has its origin upon the steppes. It was this early culture, c. 4800 BC and onward, that destroyed the paleolithic culture known as "Old Europe." It was essentially Indo-European, not Mesopotamian or Egyptian.

Here are a few references:

Marija Gimbutas, The Language of the Goddess; describes the great cultural transition from mother-goddess to the patriarchal newer warrior society. I think Gimbutas was the first to figure this out.

J.P. Mallory, In Search of the Indo-Europeans; another "early" take on the steppe origins of societies that would eventually change the face of warfare. An excellent book.

David W. Anthony, The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World. This is new and extremely important since Anthony has pinpointed the location of the emerging I-E culture. A lot about metalurgy and horse warfare here.

Pita Kelenkna, The Horse in Human History. The early chapters are excellent as an overview of newer research.

These books are seemingly not connected to the origin of squamata, yet they give the catalysts, plus a newer perspective on the intensity of the earliest steppe cultures; and from this Into-European genesis the later Greek and Roman societies emerged.