Julius,
First off, Late Archaic, good stuff! The more the merrier, and then off to Marathon! Where are you located?
On the impression, to my mind if you're interpreting the public you have to be even more rigourous in your impression. Its going to be the schoolkid who says, "Hey, why are you wearing sleeves when no one else has any?" Then you will be in the tricky situation of having to say your impression isn't accurate, which reduces your cred
I'm a big believer in period solutions to non-period problems, as it gives you something period to talk about as opposed to explaining away a problem,
You do have a couple of options available to you.
- A properly made chiton can cover the top of the shoulders.
- Handwraps will cover your forearms, and are a staple of pankration fighters of the period.
- A Chlamys worn behind the shield is also frequently depicted on vases, and takes care of the left arm.
All that's left at that point is the right upper arm thats a problem. A decorative armband as Paul posted is a possible solution depending on location of your tattoos.
Finally, I'll say right now that this last option is not uncontroversial, but does make for good interpretation. Invest in a bell corselet, vambrace, upper arm armour, and thigh armour frequently depicted in the period. While some here will argue that these are archaisms, 21st century scholarly thought is that there is no deliberative archaizing in vase art. Plutarch also tells us in the Life of Aristides that at the battle of Plataea in 479 the Spartans were more heavily armoured than other greeks, and could not move as quickly. The terminus for finds of this kind of armour is also around 480. So its possible that at least the Spartans were still wearing it around 500 BCE.
Whatever the case may be, It gives you a good talking point on the armour of the period and the questions surrounding it.
Have fun!
Cole
![[Image: MycWarrior2.jpg]](http://mlahanas.de/Greeks/LX/MycWarrior2.jpg)
