08-28-2016, 07:49 AM
Dan Howard wrote:
"It is also another nail in the coffin of the construction in the Aldrete book. Arrian specifically says that Alexander's armour was made of two layers of, presumably, thick cloth, not a dozen or so layers of regular cloth."
A Typo there, Dan , the reference is actually Plutarch 'Alexander' 32 at the battle of Gaugemala;
The Penguin classics translation is "...a thickly qilted linen corselet which had been among the spoils captured at Issus...." whilst the Loeb has as you correctly posted the more literal translation "...a breastplate of two-ply linen from the spoils taken at Issus."
The Greek reads : "ἐπὶ δὲ τούτῳ θώρακα/thoraka διπλοῦν/twofold or doubled λινοῦν/linen ἐκ τῶν ληφθέντων ἐν Ἰσσῷ."
If we look at the Alexander mosaic of the battle of Issus, we see to the right of Darius' chariot his relatives and nobles wearing red tube-and-yoke corselets with a diamond pattern with dots in the centre which appears to be quilting, and which are consistent with Plutarch's description.
As you say, far removed from the Aldrete/Bartell glued multiple layers of linen.
It is also the only time a Greek or Macedonian is described wearing a 'linen corselet', and it is not Greek, but a captured Persian example!
"It is also another nail in the coffin of the construction in the Aldrete book. Arrian specifically says that Alexander's armour was made of two layers of, presumably, thick cloth, not a dozen or so layers of regular cloth."
A Typo there, Dan , the reference is actually Plutarch 'Alexander' 32 at the battle of Gaugemala;
The Penguin classics translation is "...a thickly qilted linen corselet which had been among the spoils captured at Issus...." whilst the Loeb has as you correctly posted the more literal translation "...a breastplate of two-ply linen from the spoils taken at Issus."
The Greek reads : "ἐπὶ δὲ τούτῳ θώρακα/thoraka διπλοῦν/twofold or doubled λινοῦν/linen ἐκ τῶν ληφθέντων ἐν Ἰσσῷ."
If we look at the Alexander mosaic of the battle of Issus, we see to the right of Darius' chariot his relatives and nobles wearing red tube-and-yoke corselets with a diamond pattern with dots in the centre which appears to be quilting, and which are consistent with Plutarch's description.
As you say, far removed from the Aldrete/Bartell glued multiple layers of linen.
It is also the only time a Greek or Macedonian is described wearing a 'linen corselet', and it is not Greek, but a captured Persian example!
"dulce et decorum est pro patria mori " - Horace
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff
