How the miniature “Exercitalis Longobardo” came about

Our “exercitalis”, or rather a Lombard horseman of the VIIth century, wears a helmet with the cheek guards, nose guard and neck guard in chainmail, ornamented with plumage.

On top of a double tunic, the warrior wears metal armour made up of metal plates fixed together which leaves the shoulders and arms uncovered, of Asiatic origin.

The cloak is tied with a brooch, a precious object that is commonly found in archaeological digs in Lombard necropolis.

The belt, a characteristic element in the Lombard costume, has the typical ornamental leather pendants which end with small plates in decorated metal. Our horseman holds a “scramasax”, that is a very big knife with one edge which the Lombards used with great bravery in their hand-to-hand duels.

The round shield was made of wood. The boss in decorated metal jutted out from the centre. It is known that among the Lombards the use of the shield was not only reserved for the battlefield: during the assemblies, in fact, the nobles expressed that approval by deafeningly banging their shields on the floor.

Also of importance are the leggings, another typical element of the Lombard clothing and the spurs which distinguished the warrior as a horseman.