06-21-2009, 08:55 AM
The word Homer uses is a compound one. It isn't a label, it is a description. The most literal translation would be "armour of linen". This is different to calling it a "linothorax".
FWIW I have no idea whether Greek armour was quilted. There is nowhere near enough evidence to make a case either way. But if you look at surviving pieces of layered textile armour in any museum from any culture and any time period you'll discover that they are, without exception, quilted. If glue, or a composite of linen/leather was such a wonderful design, one would expect someone somewhere to have used it. The only time leather is used in the construction of layered textile armour is as a cover.
FWIW I have no idea whether Greek armour was quilted. There is nowhere near enough evidence to make a case either way. But if you look at surviving pieces of layered textile armour in any museum from any culture and any time period you'll discover that they are, without exception, quilted. If glue, or a composite of linen/leather was such a wonderful design, one would expect someone somewhere to have used it. The only time leather is used in the construction of layered textile armour is as a cover.
Author: Bronze Age Military Equipment, Pen & Sword Books
