Leather Cuirass

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

Ok,I'm sure you won't agree these three men,no matter if they're Greeks or Skythians,or if they're about to wear a thorax or not,are wearing a simple chiton,right?

You'll say that the sleeves look strange and most importandly that there are no pleats.But don't you find it strange that the Skythian trousers never have pleats in greek art,although we know this was not the case?
The reason why the lower pleats are depicted clearly while the upper ones are only depicted SOME times,is that the chiton was constructed in such a way that it had to form those stylized lower pleats and curves.They didn't pull the fabric up to produce this efect,but they cut and folded the fabric,and this is why all lower parts in many vases of a long range of time are identical.The upper part was left as it was and so pleats were left to the mood of the painter.However,the hemlines and the loosen fabric under the arms is a general characteristic,even if pleats are depicted or not.Take a look on these photos,though not very clear.

http://www.larp.com/hoplite/hoprest.jpg
http://www.larp.com/hoplite/hopside.jpg
Compare them with Matt Amt's chiton,too.Had he not a scabard,the pleats in the upper part would be even fewer.Compare them with the lower part!

Do not rely totally in such details as how the fabrich is gathered by the movement.I could remind you that his thighs as too thick,that his wing is under his right arm,that the crest has a strange white line on the top or that the nose guard of his helmet has no thickness :lol:
But these are not points to suggest anything,are they!
Khaire
Giannis

P.S. You're right to believe I'd react to the idea that only Homeric heroes carry the boeotian shield,but I also dissagree that this nessesarily was a more expensive weapon than the hoplon.It was just an earlier type still in use probably in some places by ordinary hoplites even in classical times.You have a point thought that in 520-510 most hoplites even in Athens would have been aristocrats.