New Book: Reconstructing Ancient linen Body Armor

[Palmerius2002]

31 July 2013


Found this title on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble book store.

Reconstructing Ancient Linnen Body Armor: Unraveling the Lino Thorax Mystery

By Gregory Aldrete, Scott Bartell, and Alicia Aldrete

Published by Johns Hopkins University Press
1 March 2013

ISBN-13: 978-1421408194

A useful book for the Greek and late Roman Era re-enactor.
Lots of research went into making this book. Does anyone out there
own a copy? Please share your insight into the books usefulness.
Do you think you could make the same item from the contents?

Thought this might help those who want an alternate way to make the petrugi fringe
on the subarmalis for Roman Reenacting. Ancient sculpture
depicts a certain stiffness in the shoulder petrugi fringe defenses and that skirt like fringe that hung from under
the belt of the armor. The linothorax laminated material may have been used instead of just leather or plain fabric.

Can people who have read the book share a little about the quality of the research
and do you think the way the book is written can aid some one in re-creating a similar
armor?

I promise I will not do a Roman impression wearing one. I do thing the petrugis fringe
is a useful thing to make from the books writitings on the topic.

Anyone who is serious about Greek Armor or late Roman Era armor should
consider finding and reading a copy of this book on this rare topic.
In my opinion it should be on the shelf of any one interested in ancient armor.

Geoffrey Ives

[Palmerius2002]

8 August 2013

Had a chance to sit at the cafe at Barnes and Noble and glance through the book myself. I told some in the Tucson, AZ Society of the Creative Anacronisim that do the Greek era about the book. I was impressed with the amount of detail in the book. The staff who wrote it tried arrow head, lance heads and other items against the armor they claim it is superior to that of linen covered leather armor it has a "fiber glass" quality.

Another poster on a different topic, from an Italian based reenactment unit also theorizes that the Roman subarmalis (padded jacket under-armor) with petrugis the wide belt like "fringe" that hangs over the shoulders and the kilt like fringe that hangs from the armor may in theory have been constructed by layers of linen and hyde glue creating a dense possibly "protective" glancing surface. This is conjecture but he believes like I do that the Roman subarmalis , petrugis "fringe arm and kilt defenses" was very much like the linen hyde glue laminated Lino-thorax mentioned in the book that is our opinon.

Again it is conjecture. Check with your reenactment group before you attempt to make this labor intensive Roman subarmalis with petrugis they may not agree.

Geoffrey Ives