Dan, I don't disagree at all. I would be more surprised if some alum tawing was not being used, and as you see I am fine with reasonable speculation. There is no evidence though as I recall until after the hoplite era ended. There is a RAT discussion regarding it's usage or rather it's non-usage. Even if such a-t leather were available the question is again a question of scale. Some argue that not all hoplites were kitted out with the tube and yoke and some even say that the Spartans abandoned most upper body armor late in the hoplite era while others point out that Iphicrates preferred linen armor over bronze...so it's hard to say how many hoplites wore the tube and yoke. My opinion is maybe not all, but many, and that number is then in the tens of thousands throughout Mainland Greece of the period
Todd, I wonder IF IF IF and when any sort of adhesive or glue is discovered with linen as armor what its function could have been? It could have simply been used to hold all the layers together as the tube and yokes were custom fitted to the hoplite providing no additional protective value at all and then sewn up, or as Eddie Cheshire discovered...when granulated stone or horn were added to the glue saturating the linen the protective value of the linen armor increased dramatically. The question of the durability of ancient glues when in contact with water is also in need of serious study as the Greeks were of course a seafaring folk and any armor would have to be somewhat resistant to falling apart when wet.
Todd, I wonder IF IF IF and when any sort of adhesive or glue is discovered with linen as armor what its function could have been? It could have simply been used to hold all the layers together as the tube and yokes were custom fitted to the hoplite providing no additional protective value at all and then sewn up, or as Eddie Cheshire discovered...when granulated stone or horn were added to the glue saturating the linen the protective value of the linen armor increased dramatically. The question of the durability of ancient glues when in contact with water is also in need of serious study as the Greeks were of course a seafaring folk and any armor would have to be somewhat resistant to falling apart when wet.
Joe Balmos
