Painted helmets ,armour greaves (oxidizing)

[dimgall]

Hello people!!!
i am asking if there is written source about hoplites that painted the whole armour to protect it from oxidizing? and if yes do you know what colors ?
i know about macedonians .but not about hoplites from classical era.i just got a new book about hoplites and has some plates with hoplites painted armour red or black.thanks in advance any help woud be great.
dimitris

[hoplite14gr]

Big subject.
There is pottery shoinng painted patterns on helmet and armor.

The phasmatoscopic analysis of scalptures in German Musems showed also
painted armot on warrior statues.

Check "Stieftung"

Kind regards

[ouragos]

I can't work out how to drop in pictures yet, but look here and you will see a copy of a painted chalcidian, reproduced from a colour palet established by the glyptotech in munich.

http://www.hoplites.org/HACosmeston2006.htm [/pre]

[dimgall]

thanks friends!!!

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

As people said,there is plenty of info about painted helmets,ans alsao from other eras. But you asked about the whole armour. What do you mean? Painted bell or muscled cuirass? Of course the linothorax was painted on very often. There is not much info about the cuirass and the greaves though. In at least one vase,or two,I've seen the muscled cuirass painted black,without any patterns,but in vase painting you cannot be sure what the artist wanted to show... I've never seen painted greaves either. Stefanos,I'm sure,would mention a fragment of athenian pottery with a hoplite with red/purple armour(helmet,bell cuirass and greaves),but it's early and again you can't possibly know what he was meant to wear. Many helmets in early art are painted red/purple/broun...Artistic lisense? Who knows?
Khaire
Giannis

[dimgall]

As people said,there is plenty of info about painted helmets,ans alsao from other eras. But you asked about the whole armour. What do you mean? Painted bell or muscled cuirass? Of course the linothorax was painted on very often. There is not much info about the cuirass and the greaves though. In at least one vase,or two,I've seen the muscled cuirass painted black,without any patterns,but in vase painting you cannot be sure what the artist wanted to show... I've never seen painted greaves either. Stefanos,I'm sure,would mention a fragment of athenian pottery with a hoplite with red/purple armour(helmet,bell cuirass and greaves),but it's early and again you can't possibly know what he was meant to wear. Many helmets in early art are painted red/purple/broun...Artistic lisense? Who knows?
Khaire
Giannis

iam talking about the whole armour . the book says they painted mainly for oxidizing reasons or to look more cool in the battle. espaecialy when they were in campaign maybe they didnt have the time to shine the armour all the time think for example .so to protect it maybe they painted it some times.