11-28-2012, 06:49 PM
In most if not all cases, a linothorax should had been a metal-linen, metal-leather composite armour. But quilting does not fit easily. The linothorax outlook was more depenent on its trouble with rain water. The mere fact that wet linen would double its weight meant that linen would need to be covered with something to make it waterproof. The obvious solutions would be
1) a cover with a thin layer of bronze (easily done with bronze scales or plates or even 2 thin body plates)
2) with a thin layer of leather - but one does not need to quilt it, too much work for no value added
3) with a glue-like or a lime-based waterproof substance applied to the outer first layer.
In the 3rd case such an application would aim at being waterproof. Gluing the whole pack of 15-20 layers would make it more bulky, harder maybe but certainly more brittle thus offering on total less perfomance than a simply stitched one.
In the 2nd case, a thin layer of leather would make no sense since it could be torn even during exercise thus in need of repair (not troublesome but would look ugly), thus it is reasonable to imagine subtracting 3-4 layers of linen to put (for comparable weight) a decent-thickness leather outer layer. Thence should we talk of leather armour backed up by linen for extra-protection/comfort?
In the 1st case, it is mostly the scales that make sense: their shape permits increased protection even for relatively (up to a limit) reduced thicknesses. Extremely thin plates would bend easily disfiguring the out-look of the armor (let alone being a potential danger being pushed in by the imbedding spear/sword). Thus such as with leather a thicker layer would be applied so should we talk of bronze armor backed with leather layers?
In our speech, linothorax would be the type of composite thorax whose main protection element would be the linen layers rather than the metal or leather on it. This would be meant either as a way to reduce costs and dependence on imported metals or increasing comfort or both.
Said this the quilting may enter in picture only in the case where linen layers were to be filled with something. This can be the case of:
A. adding a pillow-like material (eg. wool or leather pieces) for further absorption of shock.
B. adding metal pieces to form a type of garment-armour like the late Medieval brigantine
However in the first case, the linen layers themselves already offer substantial shock absorption all while the quilting does not offer any increased protection (per weight) - it rather slightly reduces protection against spear thrusts. The second case makes sense though there is big question mark - which applies to the first case too: this garment-armour would still suffer from water and as such an outer application would be necessary but this outer application does not need to be quilted too. Let us note that Medieval battle brigantines were made mostly of leather while the Linen-based ones were mostly civilian-oriented and worn to protect from... backstabbings (i.e. worn as a civilian jacket with a cape above etc.) rather than as an armour to take on military campaigns. Linen-brigantines were worn by stylish aristocrats and their guardians who hardly stayed out in the rain, guess how much go fighting... rather than being worn by the average troops. And we (think we) know that wearing armor in civilian life, unrelated to war, military excercise etc. was not at all any fashion statement.
Long story turned short? When I see quilting in ancient Greek armour artistic depictions I first think of leather-based armor with added shock absorption rather than linen-based.
1) a cover with a thin layer of bronze (easily done with bronze scales or plates or even 2 thin body plates)
2) with a thin layer of leather - but one does not need to quilt it, too much work for no value added
3) with a glue-like or a lime-based waterproof substance applied to the outer first layer.
In the 3rd case such an application would aim at being waterproof. Gluing the whole pack of 15-20 layers would make it more bulky, harder maybe but certainly more brittle thus offering on total less perfomance than a simply stitched one.
In the 2nd case, a thin layer of leather would make no sense since it could be torn even during exercise thus in need of repair (not troublesome but would look ugly), thus it is reasonable to imagine subtracting 3-4 layers of linen to put (for comparable weight) a decent-thickness leather outer layer. Thence should we talk of leather armour backed up by linen for extra-protection/comfort?
In the 1st case, it is mostly the scales that make sense: their shape permits increased protection even for relatively (up to a limit) reduced thicknesses. Extremely thin plates would bend easily disfiguring the out-look of the armor (let alone being a potential danger being pushed in by the imbedding spear/sword). Thus such as with leather a thicker layer would be applied so should we talk of bronze armor backed with leather layers?
In our speech, linothorax would be the type of composite thorax whose main protection element would be the linen layers rather than the metal or leather on it. This would be meant either as a way to reduce costs and dependence on imported metals or increasing comfort or both.
Said this the quilting may enter in picture only in the case where linen layers were to be filled with something. This can be the case of:
A. adding a pillow-like material (eg. wool or leather pieces) for further absorption of shock.
B. adding metal pieces to form a type of garment-armour like the late Medieval brigantine
However in the first case, the linen layers themselves already offer substantial shock absorption all while the quilting does not offer any increased protection (per weight) - it rather slightly reduces protection against spear thrusts. The second case makes sense though there is big question mark - which applies to the first case too: this garment-armour would still suffer from water and as such an outer application would be necessary but this outer application does not need to be quilted too. Let us note that Medieval battle brigantines were made mostly of leather while the Linen-based ones were mostly civilian-oriented and worn to protect from... backstabbings (i.e. worn as a civilian jacket with a cape above etc.) rather than as an armour to take on military campaigns. Linen-brigantines were worn by stylish aristocrats and their guardians who hardly stayed out in the rain, guess how much go fighting... rather than being worn by the average troops. And we (think we) know that wearing armor in civilian life, unrelated to war, military excercise etc. was not at all any fashion statement.
Long story turned short? When I see quilting in ancient Greek armour artistic depictions I first think of leather-based armor with added shock absorption rather than linen-based.
