№4-2024-9
DOI:10.22281/2413-9912-2024-08-04-66-70
Kulakov V. I.
PRUSSIAN PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
The evidence of archaeological and visual sources presented in the article testifies that, apart from shields, the Aestii and their descendants, the Prussians did not use any other defensive equipment either in Roman times or at the dawn of the Middle Ages. Only on the verge of crusading expansion into the Baltic lands, the Prussians are trying to form a defense complex for their soldiers, taking into account the growing intensity of conflicts with the Polish principalities as a result of the Prussian raids on Mazovia. Judging by the lack of finds of this complex in the archaeological material (a single complex shield + helmet + armor), this task was not completely solved by the Prussians. Only the capital from the Marienburg/Malbork castle shows the full range of the mentioned equipment. Moreover, the Prussian (?) Warriors are clearly dismounted riders using throwing darts, which are inconvenient for foot combat in heavy weapons. Thus, in the process of half a century of struggle between the Western Balts and the Teutonic Order, a complex of defensive equipment of the Prussians, who fell the first victim of the Crusader aggression, was formed.
Keywords: southeastern Baltic, Amber Coast, Aestii, Prussians, military equipment.
Институт археологии РАН (Россия).
Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia).
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