Throughout history armour and weapons have been not merely the preserve of the warrior in battles and warfare, but potent symbols in their own right [the sword of chivalry, the heraldic shield] representing the hunt and hall as well as the battlefield. This series aims to provide a forum for critical studies of all aspects of arms and armour and their technologies, from the end of the Roman Empire to the dawn of the modern world; both new research and works of synthesis are encouraged.