SHIBUKAWA, JAPAN—Skeletal remains clad in armor dating to the early sixth century A.D. have been uncovered from a layer of volcanic ash at Japan’s Kanai Higashiura ruins. The man probably died during the eruption of a nearby volcano. His armor had been fashioned from small overlapping metal plates, which were manufactured to the southeast. Such imported armor has been found in the tombs of high-ranking people, but this is the first time it has ever been found on its owner as it was worn.
Armor-Clad Skeleton Uncovered in Japan
News December 23, 2012
Recommended Articles
Off the Grid November/December 2026
San Agustín, Colombia
Archaeologists are finally deciphering the mystery megaliths of a vanished Andean people
Letter from Cape Canaveral November/December 2026
Dawn of the Space Age
Archaeologists have made surprising discoveries spanning 3,000 years at the birthplace of American space exploration
Features November/December 2026
Kingdom of Fortresses
How diverse and far-flung Iron Age chiefdoms united to challenge the Assyrian Empire
Features November/December 2026
A Tomb of One’s Own
Life behind the scenes in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings
-
Features November/December 2012
Zeugma After the Flood
New excavations continue to tell the story of an ancient city at the crossroads between east and west
(Hasan Yelken/Images & Stories) -
Letter from India November/December 2012
Living Heritage at Risk
Searching for a new approach to development, tourism, and local needs at the grand medieval city of Hampi
(Gethin Chamberlain) -
Artifacts November/December 2012
Beaker Vessels
Ceramic beakers were the vessels of choice for the so-called “Black Drink” used at Cahokia by Native Americans in their purification rituals
(Linda Alexander, photographer, use with permission of the Illinois State Archaeological Society) -
Digs & Discoveries November/December 2012
The Desert and the Dead
(Courtesy Bernardo Arriaza)