02-06-2006, 06:01 PM
Someone on another forum recently mentioned press reports from last year of a newly-translated papyrus fragment of Sophocles' Epigonoi - the Independent on Sunday story can be found at http://www.gradewinner.com/p/articles/m ... _n13620017 - the original on http://news.independent.co.uk/ requires subscription. The fragmemnt includes the lines:
Speaker B: "And the helmets are shaking their purple-dyed crests, and for the wearers of breast-plates the weavers are striking up the wise shuttle's songs, that wakes up those who are asleep."
Now, I've banged on previously about there being hardly any evidence for linen thorakes during the Classical period, but "breast-plates" that are woven can hardly be anything else. (It would be great to see the Greek, but so far I haven't).
Of course, the Epigonoi is a play on a legendary subject, and it's just possible that Sophocles was inspired by Homeric and other earlier references to linothorakes, rather than drawing on contemporary practice; but it does seem much more likely that he is reflecting real 5th-century woven armour.
cheers,
Duncan
Speaker B: "And the helmets are shaking their purple-dyed crests, and for the wearers of breast-plates the weavers are striking up the wise shuttle's songs, that wakes up those who are asleep."
Now, I've banged on previously about there being hardly any evidence for linen thorakes during the Classical period, but "breast-plates" that are woven can hardly be anything else. (It would be great to see the Greek, but so far I haven't).
Of course, the Epigonoi is a play on a legendary subject, and it's just possible that Sophocles was inspired by Homeric and other earlier references to linothorakes, rather than drawing on contemporary practice; but it does seem much more likely that he is reflecting real 5th-century woven armour.
cheers,
Duncan
cheers,
Duncan
Duncan
