«Тахиййат»: Сборник статей в честь Н. Н. Дьякова

Leather Armour in the Islamic World: a Classic Problem m 117 n Preliminary carbon-dating tests on some representative fragments from the second hoard (Tower 4 of the Citadel of Damascus) indicate that most of these pieces were from the second half of the 13 th century, with one possibly dating from the later 12 th century. Since then an initial study by Dr. Niall Christie, focussing on inscriptions on some of the best preserved helmets again point to the first decades of the Mamlūk Sultanate in Syria; namely the second half of the 1 th century. Several objects appear to be unique, but more importantly they include an abundance of largely organic military equipment and horse-harness which is otherwise only known from a small number of scattered and often unpublished objects. The greatest significance comes from the fact that, for the first time, a substantial number of such artefacts can be directly linked to otherwise barely understood references in written and pictorial sources.