02-24-2017, 08:54 PM
(08-11-2016, 10:17 PM)Dan Howard Wrote: The only examples of glued leather armour come from up around the Arctic circle where the humidity level is zero. The rest of the world sewed the leather layers together just like textile armour. Cuirbouili armour was never made using wax. Apart from the lubrication effect, medieval cuirbouilli was frequently decorated with paint, gilt and gesso; it is impossible to apply these finishes to wax impregnated leather. The best work on this subject was done by Dobson and summarised in his "tough as old boots" paper.
Have any of you read An Invincible Beast by Christopher Matthew? It's about the Macedonian phalanx and has a section about what armor may have been worn. According to Cornelius Nepos, Iphicrates "changed the character of their breastplates; giving them linen instead of bronze." in 374 BCE.
Xenophon says that the Armenians had linen armor that reached their groin, which means they must be flexible.
Aelian also describes an armor known as an "argilos" or "white clay" that Iphicrates' reformed troops used. Assuming that the armor was made from linen, it could be white washed to make it more rigid, water proof, and more paintable. One interesting thing is that Aelian says that the argilos is "similar to Macedonian armor only lighter."
