In European history, common armour types were the lorica segmentata, the chainmail hauberk, the gambeson and later the full steel plate armour used by late medieval knights. In feudal Japan, lacquered odoshi armour, a form of lamellar, was popular.There are two major lines of armor that lead up to the armor in Europe through the Medieval Period. The first line is the classical line that came out of the Mycenaean (Alexander the Great), Greek and Roman traditions. The major materials that armor was made from included Bronze and Iron.The second line came out of the Celtic and Teutonic people. This is called the Barbarian armor line. The armor made in this line was predominantly leather and mail.Out of all the various armor types chain mail,was the most successful and it lasted the longest. Earliest versions of this type of armor date back to the first century and this mail was in use in different variations all the way through the medieval period and beyond to the 17 th century. It was called chain mail or ring mail because it was made of a series of small rings that were interlocked together. This means of assembly was very effective against slicing and stabbing weapons and normal arrows.
