I really want to own a full greek panoply one day. I want to own the type of panoply that a hoplite would have had during the persian wars era. I came across this bell cuirass on armae.com.
I know a bell cuirass would have been a bit out of fashion at this point, but is still possible. I was drawn to it because it looks like like a transitional piece of armor, having the beginnings of musculature. I decided on a bell cuirass over a muscled cuirass because they seem much more unique, it seems people mostly make their own T and Y cuirass or get a muscled cuirass. I would like to know if this piece of armor is historically accurate, except for being made of brass of course. Though i would love to get everything in bronze, the likelihood of that happening are slim, as bronze would be very expensive and i probably would have to wait a long time for it to finally get to me. Also, do the greaves shown look okay?
I really don't think a Spartan of that period (late archaic/very early classical) would have a shield with a Λ - lambda insignia on it (unless he had a crystal ball as well). The Lakedaimonian state symbol didn't appear until some time in the late 5thC (perhaps around 440/430ish BC). And when it did it was almost certainly painted red (or perhaps black) straight on to the burnished bronze finish. I wouldn't expect either bell cuirasses or Corinthian helmets to still be in use by then either. I don't quite understand where the proliferation of lambda shield colour variations originates from, other than perhaps incorrectly painted wargames armies.
[size=75:2kpklzm3]Ghostmojo / Howard Johnston[/size]
[size=75:2kpklzm3]Xerxes - "What did the guy in the pass say?" ... Scout - "Μολὼν λαβέ my Lord - and he meant it!!!"[/size]
Any old armor that was not dedicated to the gods or the shrine of the ancestal spirits in your house would be taken to the field if you couild fit in it.
The refernce to state monograms from Photios "Synopsis" (he is refering to M of the Messeninsn)and Xenophon (he is refering to S of the Sikyonians).
The Attik "A" appears on pottery from 421 unless a plate with hoplitodormy depiction in Benaki Museum. dated to 6th century B.C. counts. (Very open to interpretation.)
Hi Eric. The armae bell cuirass is very good. If you ask them to make one for you with the characteristic rim around them waist (which actually distinguished this type of cuirass as "bell") then it will be perfect. I don't think this is a problem though, since they are custom made pieces.
Matt Lukes can make you a bronze bell cuirass. You can find him here on RAT.
The armae greaves are not perfect, but they might be a good option for their price. Ask Matt also, to compare the prices. He's making my greaves.
Khaire
Giannis
Giannis K. Hoplite
a.k.a.:Giannis Kadoglou
a.k.a.:Thorax
I don't want to mix topics but could be possible to find bell armours in the first quarter or mid of Vth century? The topic about the thracian helmet made me think about the possibility of using this helmet in a longer timeline. I think it could be possible in some context but not the general rule, of course.
kind regards
Javier Sanchez
"A tomb now suffices him for whom the whole world was not sufficient"
yes, i realize that the lambda would in all likelihood not be in use at that time. I posted the image to show the armor, unfortunately i cant change the shield blazon. The shield that i eventually wish to own will have a dokana.
if you look carefully, you will see that the bottom rim of the bell cuirass is turned up, is this good enough? The greaves shown seem very similar to ones on Manning imperial, what exactly is not quit right about them? It doesn't show the price for either the bell cuirass or the greaves unfortunately, but i will ask.
Realistically, im quit a ways from being able to afford any of this, but it doesnt hurt to begin planning early. I will wait until your greaves are finished ( assuming you post pictures on here) to see if i like Matt Luke's work.
Which bell cuirass are you talking about? It should flare out, about 45 degrees or even more.
The greaves on armae have the same decoration as a manning imperial pair, but all the rest (the important stuff) is different. They will still fit a man's legs well, but they're not made by plaster casts of your legs like MI. So they won't fit as good, but they will also be cheaper i guess.
Mine might be ready in a month or perhaps a bit more. I will certainly post pictures when i have them.
Khaire
Giannis
Giannis K. Hoplite
a.k.a.:Giannis Kadoglou
a.k.a.:Thorax
Im talking about the one in the special orders section. the bottom edge does seem to flare out if you look at the pictures, it just doesnt extend very far. You can see it best in the picture where you se its back. I believe iv seen bell cuirasses with out the bottom flaring out so much when i did a quick internet search. The people at armae said this are built to order, so perhaps they can be built to my measurement by providing them, or even plaster casts?
I buy a fair amount of armour. I have to say that the major issue in armour--after fit--is the armourer's eye. He has to have an artist's eye for both detail and basic form. Many do not. They use surface detail to cover for their failure to understand form. I would go to Manning Imperial, where Craig understands the forms deeply. This--well, doesn't do it for me.
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