Unknown Centurio Graz museum

[Xavi]

....and the white cuirass may confirm that it is a Linothorax?

[Dan Howard]

....and the white cuirass may confirm that it is a Linothorax?

Linen isn't white unless it is bleached. It could just as easily be tawed leather or tinned bronze or polished steel. I'd bet money on it being metallic.

[Xavi]

I suspect that linothorax become white because of glues used. Mostly of the paintings showing the linothorax cuirasses show them white.

[Dan Howard]

I suspect that linothorax become white because of glues used. Mostly of the paintings showing the linothorax cuirasses show them white.

No glue has ever been used to make textile armour. Textile armour was quilted

http://www.romanarmytalk.com/19-greek-mi...tml#358211

It is usually impossible to tell from a painting whether armour is made of textile, leather, or metal.

[Xavi]

Actually there are some trials showing that glued performs better, and in the other hand, quilting will not explain why they are white...

[Dan Howard]

Actually there are some trials showing that glued performs better

Not really. Aldrete doesn't construct his quilted test pieces properly so comes to a false conclusion.,

and in the other hand, quilting will not explain why they are white...

I don't understand this. I already provided four examples where the colour white might be appropriate for armour - only one of which was linen. Perhaps you think that the Greeks had linen shields too?

[Xavi]

Those are not polychrome paintings. Pottery give limited color palette.

[Dan Howard]

None of the paintings we have are photos and we can't interpret them as if they are. They are the poorest form of primary evidence. All they can really be used for is to support an interpretation of archaeological or textual evidence. By themselves they are pretty useless because they can be interpreted in any way that fits a preconceived theory. We often don't even know whether the colours we see today are the same as those that were used when freshly painted.

[Nathan Ross]

Is he wearing. Greaves?

Yes, tall bronze greaves, by the look of it. Graham Sumner reconstructs the cuirass of Facilis as 'quilted linen covered with a thin layer of vegetable tanned leather coloured white'

However, the Pompeii painting probably shows some mythological or classical scene, and both this figure and Facilis are mid 1st century at the latest.

Returning to our 'centurion' from Graz, meanwhile, I was trying to find some comparable funerary tondo or relief, and chanced upon the tombstone of Publius Gessius. Interesting - apparently late Republican, but the same positioning of the left hand on the sword, same bunched cloak on the shoulder:



Gessius also appears to be wearing the 'senior officer' sash around his midriff - but he also seems to have married his freedwoman, which might suggest he originally came from a lower class than the equestrian aristocracy. Perhaps a centurion risen in the Caesarian/Augustan army to higher rank?

[Decebalus]

The shield of the Graz officer could represent the round clipeus equester which looks oval because of the curvature of the stone. It is dated Hadrianic/early Antonine because of the Hadrianic hairstyle.
The stone of Gessius is dated c. 50-20 BC.
The ring on his left ring finger indicates equestrian rank.

[Xavi]

Mmm the white tanning comes through aluminium or chrome tanning technique. I don't think what available at that time.

[Athena Areias]

FYI, Athens had a huge white leather exporting business in classical times. The leather was TAWED with alum and salts, not tanned. The tawed leather was not as sturdy as the tanned leather, but was in demand anyway (white leather spola).

[Xavi]

...and returning to the subject. The cuirass of Gessius is difficult to explain if is made from metal, because shoulder joints will be unable to move. Therefore the cuirass must be made from some flexible material and surely not quilted. If is made from leather, probably will be too stiff to move if hardened or too weak if flexible...so maybe something else...

[Xavi]

Tawed is not as good. It seems unlikely to make a cuirass of something that is fragile and water sensible...

[Nathan Ross]

the round clipeus equester which looks oval because of the curvature of the stone...Hadrianic hairstyle.

Could be, but I don't think the tondo is deeply curved enough to cause that effect - could be 'perspective' in the relief itself, but either way it would make for a very big clipeus! I think this is more likely an oval shield of the usual auxiliary/later legionary style.

The hairstyle does look Hadrianic, but similar styles appear into the early third century. There are busts of the young Caracalla looking rather like this. All we can say is that it probably dates to somewhere within the Roman 'beard zone', cAD120-230ish...

The ring on his left ring finger indicates equestrian rank.

It's maybe possible that showing the hand raised on the sword hilt like this was designed to show off the ring. Although the Graz man doesn't appear to be wearing one... I would imagine Gessius was awarded equestrian rank by Augustus after military service in the centurionate, rather than being originally of the ordo equester - but what remains of the inscription doesn't make a point of it either way.

shoulder joints will be unable to move.

This odd 'cap sleeve' cuirass appears in several depictions, and has been discussed here before I think, to not much avail. As you say, whatever material it's made from would surely be too soft to be armour and too hard to be flexible. There's no easy answer, and it frustrates any attempts to accurately reconstruct this type of cuirass.