Illustrations of Sassanid Persian Clibanarii

[ValentinianVictrix]

I think it might be an idea to discuss how I have worn a cuirasse over mail. I have a knee-length mail hauberk the sleeves of which extend to my elbows. As an experiment a friend, who is of a similar build, allowed me to experiment with putting the muscle cuirasse he has over the top of my mail hauberk. His cuirasse is hinged on one side and done up on the other with several straps and buckles. It was fairly easy to get the cuirasse over the hauberk, much easier than we initially thought to be honest. The advantage of this was then the hauberk was kept snug against the padded shirt I had under the hauberk which gave a good range of movement.

I cannot claim either the Roman's or Sassanids did something similar, but considering the depictions of Sassand cataphracts appear to be wearing chest cuirasses with in some cases also evidence of them wearing mail over other areas.

I find it really curious that people question Roman depictions of troops wearing muscle type cuirasses but no one appears to question the Sassanid depictions of their cavalry wearing them.