ST. MARY’S CITY, MARYLAND—Live Science reports that X-rays of a piece of metal unearthed at the colonial fort at Historic St. Mary’s City confirm that it once formed part of a suit of armor. The tasset, a slightly concave slab of metal, would have hung from a breastplate to protect the wearer’s thighs during battle. Travis Parno of Historic St. Mary’s City said that the X-rays made it possible to see the individual bands of steel making up the tasset, which was decorated with rivets. Parno and his colleagues suggest that the armor was likely brought to the site by the first European colonists in the mid-1600s. But because the armor piece was found in a cellar thought to have been used for storage, and later as a trash receptacle, the colonists may have discarded it because it was too heavy and impractical in Maryland’s hot, humid environment. “You keep your breastplate, though, because that’s protecting your core,” Parno explained. To read about the fort's discovery, go to "Maryland's First Fort."
