Making a General Greek greaves

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

Hello. It is a good first try but needs a lot of improvement.
The thickness of the originals unfortunately vary very much within the greave itself, with it being very thin in the main body and thickening much near the edges. This made for a light greave that retained its shape when you opened it to wear. A good compromise would be to start with 1mm metal and let it become thinner with shaping and polishing.

The shape of the knee cover is still too wide. Also it shouldn't have turned edges neither on the top or bottom. just the holes for the lining.
The lining was simple leather turned on the outside. There are no traces of other padding, the only organic materials are leather stuck on the bronze.

The calf muscle should only be on the inner side, not the outer. However the outer side also has a different curve, longer and less steep.

The lower part of the greave should cover the whole leg around the ankle, like the calf. You must make the greave fit the thinner legs snugly. This will also ensure that it fits the bigger legs too, since the bronze is springy.

Of utmost importance is to achieve the overal curve of the greave as we see it from the front. Our bone is not completely straight, nor is the knee alighned with the bone. It's true that this curve differs from person to person, but certainly nobody has a streight leg.

Last but not least, note how the bottom of the greave flares outwards so prevent the metal digging into the foot.

Here are two examples, one from Olympia and the other from the Guttman collection.


[attachment=11724]Greaveolympia.JPG[/attachment]

[attachment=11725]greaveGuttman.jpg[/attachment]

Khaire
Giannis