Spartan Aigis and the Spolades

[Paullus Scipio]

Perhaps the Spartan might have used the term for armor in homour of the "Chalkioikos Athena" of Sparta.

I agree this is very possible, and interesting in and of itself. In this context it might be interesting that one of the best known linen armors (perhaps clothing) was covering a statue of Athena- with a companion sent to Sparta.

It is a grave mistake to assume that the 'thorakes' of linen sent to dress two Goddess statues - Athena in Lindos/Rhodes, and the other are 'armour'.(Herodotus II.182)
'Thorakes' here is almost certainly used in it's original and more literal sense of 'body covering'.

Statues of Greek Goddesses were NEVER depicted with attributes of body armour, AFIK. The closest attributes to 'body armour' are Athena's goatskin 'aegis' ( and Corinthian helmet), so the 'thorakes/body coverings' sent as presents by Pharoah Amasis are most unlikely to have been armour. Herodotus (III.47) describes the Spartan example as "of linen, embroidered with gold thread and cotton, and had a number of figures of animals woven into the fabric.The most remarkable thing about it was that each fine thread of which the material was woven was made up of three hundred and sixty separate strands, all distinctly visible."
What is being described here is clearly a garment, remarkable for it's fineness, and not a piece of armour.....