Why does armor look like new in museums?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

If you study the exhibits of historical museums, it is easy to notice that almost all of them look quite presentable, without any damage, and some are generally like new. In this regard, a version appeared that the exhibition copies are a fake, made in our time.

Indeed, there are not so many ancient weapons and armor, which would have left traces of their use in practice. And there are objective explanations for this.

First of all, one should understand the principles by which museums are replenished with medieval weapons and armor. These are either items found during excavations that have lain in the ground for hundreds of years, or those that were kept in someone's private collection. It is extremely difficult to draw conclusions about combat damage with regard to the specimens of weapons found in the ground, since the metal has suffered from corrosion during this time.

The second part of what we usually see in museums is exhibits that previously belonged to wealthy people and were kept in their collections. Someone took care of it as a memory of past feats, someone - to pass on to descendants, and for the third it was a reward for exploits.

A little about museums

The fact is that the first historical museums appeared in the eighteenth century, in the second half of it. Previously, no one even thought that such products could be put on display. For aristocrats, armor and weapons were kept as a memory. They were used extremely rarely in hostilities.

The older the product, the less it comes across in a presentable condition. Well, they did not save them in those days. No one even had such an idea. Armor, swords, sabers that had fallen into disrepair were either repaired or sent to be melted down.

Ordering new ones for yourself, and leaving the old ones as a keepsake was too expensive and available only to very rich people. And if they did, then only armor and weapons in very good condition, so that there was something to show the descendants.

Of course, there are also worn-out objects, but they are exhibited in museums only if they have really huge historical value, unique in their kind. Basically, they exhibit beautiful, well-preserved exhibits.

One of the rarities is the chain mail cut in battles, which is located in the Voronezh Museum of Local Lore, from which this museum began. This exposition was bought from Erontiy Kurgan, hieromonk of the Zadonsk monastery, in 1894. Although there is information that it was simply a gift.

There are also fakes, where can we go without them? Also exhibited are reconstructions made already in our time, of course, with appropriate signatures, which many simply do not read, and then wonder where such new items come from.