Exhibit 3
Arms and armor of the Ancient Rus
In the 13th century the country of Rus was permanently at war. The exhibit demonstrates replicas of weapons used by professional warriors and guardsmen of the 13th-15th centuries. For two centuries new types of weapons were being invented and the old ones improved according to changes in the warfare. Body armor of the time consisted of helmets, mails and shields that protected the warrior from blade weapons. The warrior’s equipage included swords, spears, sables, battle axes, maces, as well as bows and arbalests.
The main close combat strike weapons of the Middle Ages were spears and swords. In the middle of the 13th century, sabers adopted from nomadic tribes became popular.
To equip a large army, thousands of craftsmen had to make armor and weapons, as well as saddles, stirrups, horseshoes, warriors’ footwear and clothes. In Rus, crafts and trades were practiced predominantly in cities. In the 13th century, L’viv became an important center of the arms and armor production in the Kingdom of Rus.