Armour against weapons or weather?

[Matthew Amt]

Hmm, I dunno... Yes, both of those garments look kinda bulky, but I'd be very reluctant to interpret either one as anything other than just clothing. A chiton is very full and baggy, and does some unexpected things when you wear it. And it would do different things depending on whether it's linen or wool, and the thickness of the fabric.

I also recommend against the whole concept of a poor warrior "just wanting to have SOME kind of armor", unless there is EVIDENCE that such men thought and acted that way. Sure, you find psiloi with a hide cloak over their arms to help ward off javelins and rocks, and modern writers will make all kinds of noise about some garment or other which might have offered rudimentary protection from something. But it seems clear to me that if a man could only afford a shield, that was considered perfectly adequate protection in combat! One of those vase paintings shows greaves as well, so he's even better off. Plenty of men went to war with no body armor, and didn't think anything of it. The shield protected. In most times and places, the men with real armor were very much the minority.

Basically, it looks like clothing to me! It MIGHT be a little heavier than usual, for colder weather, but that's it.

Khaire,

Matthew