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04-27-2016, 11:32 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-28-2016, 12:14 AM by Dan Howard.)
You quoted a pretty old post. Based on what we know today it seems that Greek armour was more commonly made from leather than linen. I agree that linen armour could have a leather cover (there are plenty of medieval examples) but usually this cover was an integral part of the armour, not a separate garment.
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The main Gallic armour during that period is mail, and it was only worn by the elite. In many cultures body armour was only worn by the elite. The rest made do with a shield and, if they were lucky, a helmet.
There is a huge debate regarding overarm vs underarm. IMO overarm is more likely.
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The only padding you need under mail is a winter tunic. Some types of mail had integrated padded liners and didn't need any other padding. This doesn't really belong in a a thread about Greek linen armour.
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Hello, I have read through this entire thread and read many arguments. I have a few questions. Could an armor be made of rawhide by soaking it and forming it to the shape of body and reinforcing it with tanned leather and maybe some type of metal plates?
How well would rawhide hold up to any sort of weapon? Are there any tanning methods which leave leather very stiff and tough?
How could the springy yolk things be made of leather when normal tanned leather does not have those properties?
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Pretty much all the examples of hide armour we have from all over the world from the Bronze Age onwards are made from rawhide or semi-cured hide and not tanned leather. In order to make tanned leather into a functional armour, you need to harden it into cuir bouilli; in other words, to give it the same properties that the hide had before it was tanned.