05-10-2007, 08:24 AM
I agree the text is unclear and my kitchen Greek can't help when it comes to the Perseus transliteration.
Have we yet determined that the spolas is armour? All we know is that it seems to be used in the context of 'arming up' but do we have any definitive evidence that it is armour? I think the initial suggestion that the spolas was a leather thorax came from the wargaming fraternity in the late '70's probably based on the text of the Spartan who was killed by the Karduchian arrow. Whether this was then taken up by Osprey authors next or visa versa is a moot point as Osprey authors and the more notable Wargamers were once upon a time almost interchangeable. I
agree it is often described in the context of leathern garments but there has been little evidence to show what it actually is. If we take the imaginative leap and say it is armour of sorts then where are the rest of the examples of its use?
I have not yet examined the issue of arming up psiloi or other light troops in this period so I can't comment on that. However, I am pretty sure that Byzantine light infantry from time to time were known to wear the kabadion /gambeson but my copy of McGeer's, Sowing the Dragon's Teeth is living with Egfroth at the moment so I can't give you a reference.
Have we yet determined that the spolas is armour? All we know is that it seems to be used in the context of 'arming up' but do we have any definitive evidence that it is armour? I think the initial suggestion that the spolas was a leather thorax came from the wargaming fraternity in the late '70's probably based on the text of the Spartan who was killed by the Karduchian arrow. Whether this was then taken up by Osprey authors next or visa versa is a moot point as Osprey authors and the more notable Wargamers were once upon a time almost interchangeable. I
agree it is often described in the context of leathern garments but there has been little evidence to show what it actually is. If we take the imaginative leap and say it is armour of sorts then where are the rest of the examples of its use?
I have not yet examined the issue of arming up psiloi or other light troops in this period so I can't comment on that. However, I am pretty sure that Byzantine light infantry from time to time were known to wear the kabadion /gambeson but my copy of McGeer's, Sowing the Dragon's Teeth is living with Egfroth at the moment so I can't give you a reference.
Peter Raftos
