Thanks for your informative response and taking the time to write it. I was only going from what I'd read and am very happy to learn better. I'd have thought that armours made from leather or textiles would have been universally in use across nearly all cultures. But, until I learned better, I would have thought that archery, bows and arrows were a universal occurrence too. Bows were never developed by the indiginous peoples here in Australia. They relied on the spear and spear-thrower (woomera) and throwing sticks. They may have used the bow at some stage and abandoned it. We don't have the evidence, though.
Same situation here, right?

Thanks Matt. It's like being sunburned. If someone even lightly touches you, you flinch, even though it normally wouldn't bother you. Apologies to Mr Boyd.

Mikko Kuusirati wrote:

Greenland actually used to be, well, green.

Not really. Erik the Red allegedly stated that he called it "Greenland" to try and induce people to settle there. We know that the settlement had to import timber so it was likely pretty barren.

Ok bored enough.

I kindly ask the moderators to deactivate my profile and delete all my posts, these discussions are getting too ridicoulus for my taste and patience.

I've just gone through the entire text of Historia Langobardorum and pulled these out:

Ch II - describes an imprisoned holy man bound in chains and clad in a goat's skin
Ch V - the Scritobini wear a knee-length coat made from stag hide.
Ch XXIV - the Longobards are mocked because they "wear white bandages from their calves down"
Ch XXXV - Aripert wore "mean garments and those made of skins" in the presence of foreign dignitaries.
Ch XXXVII - Cagan was in "full armour" but there is no mention of what armour it was.
Ch XXXVIII - Rothari concealed some kind of armour under his clothing.
Ch XL - Seno asks the king for a suit of armour. The king later hands over his armour, helmet, and greaves, but there is no mention of what sort of armour it is.
Ch LI - Godepert wore some kind of armour under his clothing.
Ch LVI - Berto attacked Ratchis in "full armour" but no mention of what sort of armour.

So it has a few mentions of clothing made from animal skins but I get the impression that it was only worn by the poorest folk. I might have missed it but I could find nothing about leather armour and nothing about leather leg guards. I'm guessing that Alex is talking about the "white bandages" in Ch 24 but there is nothing to suggest that they were made of leather. However, I used an English translation (William Dudley Foulke, 1907) and haven't seen the original latin.
http://www.thule-italia.org/Nordica/Paul%20th...BEN%5D.pdf

I may well be wrong about the climate thing.

But still! Even the furriest winter coat would not be equivalent to a padded gambeson.

Now an administrative notice to all:

I ask that everyone here present their informational challenges carefully without belittling others, acting bored and annoyed at such questions, or insinuating that others "just don't get it." The fact is, many of us don't get it and that's why we are here: to learn.

If anyone is unable to understand this and feels so frustrated by those of us with a lack of understanding of a subject, I suggest you constructively add to the topic in the role as an educator. If you can't do this, sit on the sidelines and don't participate.

Being an educator requires patience and a desire to make a positive impact. To get that result, one must do so without making the audience feel stupid or as though they are a bother. Being a poor educator who alienates an audience is worse than ignoring ignorance, as it actually actively pushes people away and creates a resentment to learning. Shame on those who do this.

Wow! Thanks for the responses, gentlemen! Sorry to not get back at this sooner, but I went out of town for a few days soon after posting, and this is the first chance I've had to check back. Dan, I checked out the other links about Vendel period, thanks. I'd read some of them already, but a few were new to me. I thank everyone for their input on this. I'm satisfied with using a wool tunic under mail; I just wanted to get some more info on the nature of said tunics, whether or not they were made for the express purpose of being worn under armor, or differentiated somehow from everyday clothing. I do get the impression that a tunic was a tunic, though trying to figure out what was in the minds of the warriors at the time is an exercise in futility (but fun!).
I'm aware that the "leather armor" concept (with reference to the Vendel/Merovingian period) is in the realm of horned helmets and war-skirts. One of the things I love about these forums is seeing the various iterations of the threads (as in discussions, not textiles :lol: )
Have a good one!