Single Combat during the Trojan War

[Astiryu1]

The standardization of arms and armor is often held as most common but leaves little room for custom pieces. I believe(until proven otherwise) that the period would have alot of trial and error and the Trojan War being a huge attraction for many warriors would be a mixture of many sub cultures. Even in the Classical Greek city states there was division and practices particular to each. Generally the equipment would be similar but there was nothing preventing a warrior from having a shield or armor specifically designed for him. The shield of Ajax being so large and heavy (and uncommon)I think is a good example of this. It is not a matter of ages(I think) but more a matter of preference. In a similar case(unrelated to Troy) General Guan Yu of Shu during the Warring States period in China supposedly invented the Kwan Dao and from memory was supposed to weigh around 50 lbs.(probably less though). He was known to be an abnormally large Chinese man and to an extent can be believed(Yao Ming). The Chinese at the time of Emperor Shi Huang Di fought with Chariots as well and saw many developments of weaponry such as the halberd.

The lack of evidence and documentation forces me to look at similar situations in other cultures. Forgive me but I think until a large find is made for the period this is the best policy but I understand is worlds away. I only state what "may be" relevant in adoption practices of arms and armor. I am not trying to rewrite history or claiming that Chinese warriors were at Troy!