Muscled Cuirasses of Boiled Leather?

[Matthew Amt]

That's the real sticking point--are we talking about ARMOR, or a cuirass-like-object that only LOOKS like armor? (Sorry, I should have specified in my first post that *I* was thinking of *armor*!) Dan and I generally think alike, though I tend to give artwork a little more weight at least in this case. We really have been over this very topic several times, but Travis did find a number of sculptural features that just do NOT look like metal, even on what looked like a metal cuirass at first glance. So my take is that there was something cuirass-shaped but made of leather (or something flexible) and not meant as battle protection. But having had to make a U-turn on the whole linothorax/spolas debate, I'm prepared to do the same thing here! Gonna need more *evidence*, though...

Also bear in mind that I still incorporate some knee-jerk reaction into my responses, because of the overwhelming popular Hollywood concept of BROWN armor. I strongly believe that even if leather things were worn for battle or just for decoration, there were COLORFUL. We already know that statues like that were commonly painted in rather gaudy colors. So I'm willing to sound a little strong if it helps move people away from the brown musculata camp...

Valete,

Matthew