02-22-2009, 10:03 PM
Exactly. During the Middle Ages leather armour was very rare in north western Europe but it was the most common armor type in central and eastern Europe where there were large herds of cattle and horses. Nobody has presented any credible evidence for leather armor to be anything other than a curiosity in the Aegean during the classical period. Textile armours dominate everywhere that textiles were available. Pound for pound layered textiles offer better protection than leather - even hardened leather. Leather has other benefits such as being able to be shaped to more closely fit a body part - like metal plate.
Author: Bronze Age Military Equipment, Pen & Sword Books