05-09-2011, 02:26 AM
Quote:Just answered my own question about Homeric leather armour. There are a few references to leather helmets but this is the only reference to leather armour that I can find.
καὶ Σιμόεις, ὅθι πολλὰ βοάγρια καὶ τρυφάλειαι [Iliad, 12.22]
Lattimore's translation: "and Simoeis, where much ox-hide armour and helmets"
Ressurect old thread to correct this statement.
Lattimore interpreted the term βοάγρια as leather armour but "hide shields" is a better fit. The same term is used in the Odyssey [16.296] and is referring to shields, not armour. If this is the correct translation then there isn't a single reference to leather armour anywhere in the Iliad.
Author: Bronze Age Military Equipment, Pen & Sword Books