The early armor suits only covered the head and the chest, whereas later they developed into separate pieces of tile body shield, the shoulder shields and the leg shields. Judging from artifacts excavated in early times, the bronze helmet appeared in as early as the Shang Dynasty. In Zhou Dynasty, bronze helmet and chest shield made of rhinoceros or buffalo hide were used in wars. It was also recorded in early history that at that time ficials in charge of armored suits, which were
made with round pieces in groups of seven, painted white, red and black. An elaborately embroidered be was worn over the armored suit to display the gnity of the army, removed only when the actual fighting began.
The Warring States Period was one with incessant wars among the warlords. In that period, however, significant scientific and cultural development took place, together with the rapid progress in military related manufacturing. Official document of that time recorded the complicated process and craft of making leather armored suites, detailing the form, measurements, structure and proportions of each part of tile shield. It was clear that each state attached great importance to tile making of the armored suits. Metal shields, according to historical artifacts, appeared in the mid of the Warring States Period, as a simple chest shield shaped like an animal face. The shield was made with metal plates linked together, and at about the same time iron helmet made its entry into the scene. In a later excavation, a helmet made from 89 iron pieces was found in a tomb burial in the Yan state.
