I'm wondering about whether bronze was ever used as material for mail. I was under the impression that it was not, but then I read the wikipedia article about the lorica hagmata and it implied bronze was used in the construction as an alternative to iron.
Googling didn't give me anything except a dead link that seems to have gone to a forum where some artwork evidence had been posted (second link) but as the link was dead I have no idea.
Thankful for any input on whether bronze was used for the hagmata, or any other kind of mail (and as a side question, was any other material except iron and steel used?).
The Roman period is before my period of expertise, so I can't say much about the Lorica Hamata.
However, in the Middle Ages there are occasional uses of latten (a copper alloy, generally containing Zinc - basically brass) to make mail. The most common use of this is a decorative border on the edge of a mail garment - the hem of a mail skirt, cuffs, etc. There are a number of examples of this surviving, such as this example at the Wallace Collection. This shirt also has a latten 'signature' link identifying the mail-maker - you can see it here. In Thom Richardson's description of the Tower of London inventories of the 14th century, he mentions a mail collar ('pizzane') decorated with latten borders and pendants of butted (IE not rivetted) latten links attached to the collar proper. The borders of latten links create a contrasting, decorative border that seems to be made of gold. Similarly 14th and some 15th century plate armour sometimes has decorative applied borders of gilt latten. You can see this in the famous 'Breastplate number 10' from Castle Churburg in South Tyrol.
In the accounts of the Tower of London from the 14th century there is a mail shirt 'of latten' mentioned repeatedly in inventories through the decades (from 1344 to 1362) - probably the same shirt. In one of these accounts it is identified with mail shirts 'for the tournament'. If this was a mail shirt entirely made of latten, it may have been made for early forms of club tournament where whalebone swords were used, and not for battle. In this case protection against piercing by lances/arrows/swords was less important, and a more visually striking but less tough metal could be used.
Bronze or brass was commonly used in Filipino Moro armour.
Other than that, I haven't been able to find any solid leads apart from some unsourced comments on Persian and Indian maille shirts.
