Reconstructing Ancient Linen Body Armor - New Book

[Paullus Scipio]

For those wondering, "cartonnage" is a form of 'papier mache' used by embalmers to make masks or body cases for Egyptian mummies from around 900 BC down to Roman times. The exact materials altered over time, but it was made from linen or papyrus scraps mixed with plaster or stucco and then moulded into shape, exactly like 'papier mache'. When the 'papier mache' had dried it was painted or decorated with gold leaf. By Ptolemaic times, linen had gone out of use and waste scraps of 'papyrus' documents were almost universal. Preserved in the mix, these scraps have provided much written material for archaeologists and historians to ponder over.....

Some 'linophiles' have suggested that linen armour could be similarly made, but the suggested methods are as different as chalk and cheese.....