Leather Cuirass

[Dan Howard]

There are plenty of references to Greek armour being pierced by standard Asiatic/Greek weapons ( and special pleading such as 'it could have got round the armour' doesn't wash) -think how the remnants of the Spartans met their end at Thermopylae, for instance. Or again, Sphacteria.

I'm only aware of very few instances where the armour is specifically stated as being penetrated. Alexander's cuirass is the only one that immediately comes to mind and he was hit from close range [Plutarch's Life of Alexander, 63]. I would love some more references. Most arrow victims are injured where the armour is NOT - neck, face, armpit, groin, lower stomach, arms, legs, etc. There are plenty of ways for archers to decimate a host without scratching a decent piece of armour.

I have a problem with people claiming that some items were too hot for a Middle Eastern climate. There is plenty of evidence for thick textiles and felt being worn under armour by these cultures in the Middle Ages. This region wasn't any hotter during the Iron Age or Bronze Ages.