Linothorax vs Spolas

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

Kyros, i do not disagree with what you say. However, i disagree with your ignoring of some very STRONG literary sources that are much later than Homer.
Alkaios is the first, dating to about 570-550 bc, then we have the stone inscription with the donations to a greek temple in Delos mentionning linen cuirasses AND spolades, and then we have Aneas Tacticus who mentions again both linen cuirasses and spolades.
Now, you might argue that leather was much more common or whatever, but unless you believe that all those ancient sources invented the use of linen cuirasses by the greeks, then we HAVE to accept that there is enough evidence for the use of linen cuirasses by the Greeks.
Then there is the quote for Ifikrates equipping his soldiers with linen cuirasses. This doesn't mean that they greeks weren't using them, but perhaps merely that it wasn't the commonest form of armour. But it does mean that it wasn't all that impossible for the Greeks to find linen armour, and also that they considered it superior.
Your guess that linen was abandoned when "sharper weapons" got in use is unfounded, because in later times europeans used much sharper weapons than the greeks and still used linen armour.

And Bill, you keep mentioning "glued" linen cuirasses, but i think by now nobody even mentions glue. It is just not necessary.

The find of leather remains in the Vergina tombs is a well known fact, but there are many possible explanations as to what it could have been. For instance, the bed strips that the armour was placed on, and so on. Equally, there are linen and wool remains, but they cannot be identified.
I didn't just ask a "museum person", we did two days of workshops with a team of several archaeologists, spcializing in different aspects, including the head of the Ephorate and chairwoman of the Vergina museum, who was present in the excavations of both tombs with Manolis Andronikos. No leather or linen armour has been identified as such in the tombs,nor in the Temenid cemetery nearby.
We handled several unpublished items, weapons, armour and jewelry from the bronze to the hellenistic age. They have no reason to hide an extraordinary find, even if it is unpublished.

These incredible finds from that other cemetery...i have heard of a great number of tombs with partial armour in them, but never heard of so complete finds. I would love to read an article even on the newspaper that you read it...
Khairete
Giannis