A History of the Idea of Glued Linen Armour

[Crispianus]

Hi Todd, this is the first I have heard of any kind of felt being made from hemp!  Could you point me to more information such as a book?  A quick DuckDuckGo just gives me advertisement for this product- apparently sometimes it is painted with bitumen and used in roofing?

  
That's as much as I've found too, but I don't have access to academic journal databases currently.  IF the stuffed fabric technique was used by folks like the Greeks and Etruscans to make armour in the manner of the ichcahuipill or gambeson, then felting the flax might create a better stuffing than just stuffing the armour with the fibers, and might be lighter and more stable than using old clothes, or those could have been used to create the felt. The fresco is just as likely to represent regular quilted armour of layers (though that would be heavier, I'd think) or even a twined armour quilted between linen layers.  Twined material benefits from being quilted in place, and I believe strongly that is what is seen in the Etruscan urn depictions.  I am going to re-create one of the urn armours with my twining project.

I think with hemp/flax felt you may have to consider the method of manufacture, whether or not the process is possible or practical by hand?

Plant fibres have been used since the ancient past for weaving, but felted?