Title says it all. In cultures with no metalworking, where stone and wood and cloth/leather were the only materials to make weapons with, was wood ever used to make body armour? Seems to me that having a plank of wood plastered to your chest could easily be enough to stop a blow from a stone axe or club, much more so than, say, hide or leather. And while it might not be enough to stop it, it sure would take some of the "Oomph" out of any arrow that would hit you.
I have never heard of any cultures that did this, though, so my question also includes why not?
Thank you in advance for any and all replies :)
hi! these are a bunch of posts that include at least some discussion of armour used in pre-Columbian Americas; there are several examples of wood, which was one of the more common materials
thread in Wednesday AMA: Mesoamerica
thread in How does Greek and roman Armor of the classical period compare to European Medieval armor?
What were characteristics of the Native American/First Nations fighting methods, and how did they develop? - just a mention
What was war like in the Pacific Northwest before European contact?
Did the Native Americans and South Africans utilize metal body armor?
thread in AMA: Alaska, from Prehistory to Present
Have there ever been any Eskimo/Inuit conquerors/emperors/kings? - just a mention
Incans, Mayans, Native American Tribes, all had various armors that were made of wood, usually wood slats tied together around the torso. Similar to this one: http://alaska.si.edu/record.asp?id=40
Bamboo Armor, though cheap, is far from uncommon, especially in Japan and China. Kendo and some other modern Sword sports still use bamboo armor that is relatively unchanged: http://www.chuokendo.com/kendo-equipment
"The modern form has a pronounced bulge to help redirect the force of strikes away from the soft areas in the middle of the torso. Lacquered bamboo is traditionally used although lacquered paper "fibre" (frequently misidentified as fiberglass) or molded plastic are used for less expensive dō. "