09-15-2013, 02:48 PM
o-pa-wo-ta literally means "things hung on". Chadwick has interpreted this as "accessories," but "attachments" or even "components" might also be a valid interpretation
I've gone through every line of the Iliad multiple times and translated a lot of it myself. There are dozens and dozens of bronze helmets in the book. Only bronze helmets are described with bosses, horns, and crests. There is no reason not to assume that Agamemnon's helmet - the topic of this thread - was also made of bronze.
The only two mentions of leather helmets are in book 10 - one worn by Diomedes and the other by Dolon. Diomedes' helmet is specifically said to NOT have any adornment. Odysseus' helmet is made of boars tusks; the leather underneath is just a liner. I have seen the originals and own a very good replica of one. Homer's description is very close to these extant examples.
I can't find a single mention of leather armour anywhere in the book. Some characters wear animal skins (such as Agamemnon's lion pelt) but their armour was bronze.
I fully acknowledge that they used leather shields and have proposed a specific method of construction that nobody has considered before. How is a shield relevant to what sort of helmets and armour they wore?
I've gone through every line of the Iliad multiple times and translated a lot of it myself. There are dozens and dozens of bronze helmets in the book. Only bronze helmets are described with bosses, horns, and crests. There is no reason not to assume that Agamemnon's helmet - the topic of this thread - was also made of bronze.
The only two mentions of leather helmets are in book 10 - one worn by Diomedes and the other by Dolon. Diomedes' helmet is specifically said to NOT have any adornment. Odysseus' helmet is made of boars tusks; the leather underneath is just a liner. I have seen the originals and own a very good replica of one. Homer's description is very close to these extant examples.
I can't find a single mention of leather armour anywhere in the book. Some characters wear animal skins (such as Agamemnon's lion pelt) but their armour was bronze.
I fully acknowledge that they used leather shields and have proposed a specific method of construction that nobody has considered before. How is a shield relevant to what sort of helmets and armour they wore?
Author: Bronze Age Military Equipment, Pen & Sword Books
