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+--- Thread: The Linothorax Project (/showthread.php?tid=23710)
The Linothorax Project - Renicus Ferrarius - 03-23-2014
Not sure if anyone saw this, but I thought some might be interested:
The UWGB Linothorax Project: Reconstructing and Testing Ancient Linen Body Armor
Some researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay found a way to make linothorax armor using materials available in ancient Greece. Apparently, it stops arrows.
The website has a couple of videos, some interesting pictures, and a pdf for a linothorax pattern.
The Linothorax Project - Flavivs Aetivs - 03-23-2014
I've seen this before. Frankly it's been disproven: they based their reconstruction off of images of Leather Spolas, not of Linen Armor.
And glued linen falls apart when wet or sweaty, which is the second issue with their hypothesis.
AFAIK, the Linothorax was a quilted garment.
Feel free to correct me, those who know more about Greeks.
The Linothorax Project - Renicus Ferrarius - 03-23-2014
I defer to your, and other forum members' expertise on this subject.
I found their study interesting, especially after I've researched other cultures over the years, like the Mongols, who had some success with silk vs arrows.
Anti-missle/stab cloth has been on the minds of a lot of people over the millenia, it seems. :-)
The Linothorax Project - Flavivs Aetivs - 03-23-2014
Leather or linen will stop arrows if you're far enough away. The problem is that why wear Leather Armor if your wool tunic will stop an arrow at the distance you're standing at? Same thing with sword cuts: a thick wool tunic has as much protection as leather.
I saw their tests on the Nat Go channel where the one guy took a bronze arrow while wearing the stuff, without getting hurt. This arrow was a histroically accurate replica with a bronze head fired from a Scythian Composite Bow
As a comparison they fired at a piece of bronze sheet armor and penetrated it, saying it was "worse" when the bow they used was a modern compound bow with a modern day target arrow with a steel head.
The Linothorax Project - Dan Howard - 03-23-2014
Any armour can be made to resist any kind of arrow. With linen armour you simply add more layers until you get the level of resistance you want. In Europe they were called padded jacks and 25-30 layers could stop an English longbow at short range. The problem is that these kinds of constructions are a lot heavier than metal cuirasses that provide similar protection.
Layered textiles have been used to make armour for around three thousand years all over the world. The layers are invariably quilted together. There isn't any evidence from any cuilture or time period that this armour was ever glued.
http://www.romanarmytalk.com/19-greek-military-history-a-archaeology/320755-reconstructing-ancient-linen-body-armor-new-book.html
http://www.romanarmytalk.com/19-greek-military-history-a-archaeology/320755-reconstructing-ancient-linen-body-armor-new-book.html?limitstart=0&start=15
http://www.romanarmytalk.com/19-greek-military-history-a-archaeology/311129-a-new-look-at-the-linothorax.html?limitstart=0&start=60
The Linothorax Project - richard robinson - 03-24-2014
just so that you know not everybody agrees with this "disproven" and that is OK too. :wink:
regards
Richard Robinson
The Linothorax Project - Dan Howard - 03-24-2014
It is a logical impossibility to prove a negative. Theories need evidence to support them. When there is no evidence you have baseless speculation.