Padded Armour

[Flavius Promotus]

A medieval source (10th century) mentions peasants and monastery personell making makeshift armour from felt ("piltris lorice fiunt") when they were under threat from a Magyar warband.

Robert has a good point about the weak credibility of the De Rebus Bellicis, you just have to look at some of the most bizar 'inventions' (cattle powered battleships, inflatable bridges, war chariots driven by automatically-lashed horses). It looks as if someone wanted to catch the emperor's attention at all costs, even with a number of hilarious ideas which look like 4th century science fiction.

BUT - the Thoracomachus chapter is one of the few which sounds rather credible, and which is partially supported by later sources (including the anonymus peri strategias from the 6th century).

The other 'inventions' in the De Rebus Bellicis' are sometimes allegedly based on experience, but only the 'Thoracomachus'(subarmalis) is grouped

"Among all the inventions devised for military puspose by the ancients in their forethough for future generations..." (Transl. by E.A. Thompson)

Although the 'forethought for future generations' ides can be skipped, the author does concede that the thoracomachus/subarmalis has been in existence in earlier times, and is NOT something which comes out of the blue (i.e. the imagination of the anonymous author).

So at least this short chapter in the De Rebus Bellicis seems to be reliable (to a certain extent).

Vale,
Aurelius Florianus/Flavius Promotus