Re: Re[2]: MR:REQ:Rapier legal garb

["R. Mark Jones" <rmark@access.digex.net>]

Poster: "R. Mark Jones" <rmark@access.digex.net>

> If recollection serves me there are period references of silk being used in
> a similar fashion to help protect against arrow fire.  Basically, the silk
> prevented any barbs on the arrow from having their desired effect, making
> removal of the arrow less traumatic.  I'm afraid that I don't have a
> reference on this one, though, since the infomation came from a technical
> seminar on the applications and properties of spider silk.

This was a Mongol practice. The warriors rode into battle with a silk tunic
next to their skin so that they could remove any arrows that might strike
them. Using silk under leather armor to protect troops against arrows allowed
them to have adequate protection without the additional weight of steel armor.

-Aodhan
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