Copies of Archaeological Armour

Gammertingen

This sample was produced for a client who wanted to see the difference between modern commercial mail armour and armour of the the 6th century. This piece is based on the mail shirt from the early medieval burial from Gammertingen (6th Century AD).

The project recreated a 9” square section of the mail based on dimensions of the rings published in “European Mail Armour” by Martin A. Wijnhoven. The punched solid rings were made commercially while the riveted rings I made by hand from wire, all to the specifications in the publication. The finished mail is incredibly dense and totally unlike modern commercially available mail.

gammertingen making the mail (1)
Gammertingen – making the mail
gammertingen making the mail (2)
Gammertingen – making the mail
gammertingen a 6th century ad dense mail weave
Gammertingen a 6th century AD dense mail weave
gammertingen making the mail (1)
Gammertingen – making the mail
gammertingen making the mail (2)
Gammertingen – making the mail
gammertingen a 6th century ad dense mail weave
Gammertingen a 6th century AD dense mail weave

Carlingwark Loch

This piece was made during the Festival of Metals event held at Butser Farm in 2025. As I was demonstrating at the Roman Villa site I recreated a piece of Roman armour based on the archaeological find at Carlingwark Loch (AD 80 – 200). This has alternating rows of punched solid rings and riveted rings, both of which I made by hand. The solid rings show the burrs from punching in the same way that the original armour does.

carlingwark loch finished piece
I continue to make authentic armour for reenactors and museums as well as demonstrating the techniques of mail-making through workshops and events.

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