Thespian Hoplites and black armour

[Dithrambus]

The black shoulder yoke of the curaiss can be confirmed in the monumental record and that black armour, both metallic and composite was possible,is not in question as per the various comments above.

It IS in question... at least until we find an actual physical specimen. I'm not sure any iron armor was as "black" as depicted in that rather fanciful drawing. I also doubt the Greeks, or anyone else, wore blackened armor as it came directly from the forge. It would have been scoured and polished to some degree, thus removing the sooty black carbonization. Purely black anything appears to be lacking in the archaeological strata for any given period until we get to the high medieval period, when armor was blackened. Even the Chinese, who had the technology to blue, purple, and blacken, even chromium-plate, their bronze swords, do not seem to have had the ability to do the same with iron/steel. :wink:

Thats not iron armour, its the shoulder yoke of a tube & yoke curaiss, which is verifiable in the pottery paintings, there are depictions of linen/leather armours that have sections such as the shoulder yokes or the pteryges depicted in black. :-)

Otherwise, its a fanciful drawing that has done more harm than good.. :wink: