11-01-2012, 02:29 AM
Hi Dan, yes there are no definitive facts out there by all means but hey, that is what experimental archaeology does cover for.
Actually the latter has been experimentally re-constructed by Mr Katsikis to see how it would work. I have seen it live. It looks like it must had been a real armor and it works more than fine providing active protection with a spring effect. We are talking about an armour that is times superior to what armor circulated later and can only be compared to later Eastern Roman models only. As it is, the armor protects better than archaic bell/muscle armors albeit at the cost of an increased weight - apparently movement to battle by chariots for rich soldiers and their men gave them that opportunity.
Now the hypothesis of the artist wanting simply to paint the ribs of the body should be rather a minority one - the soldiers seem well armed and the lines of the body are very suggestive (one can see lines of belts as well as the short sleeves of a chiton-like garment (i.e. they are not naked). From there on if the art is substractive and if this should had been of metal, of leather, of scales etc. ...yes we there may not know so we can suggest by building proposals.
Actually the latter has been experimentally re-constructed by Mr Katsikis to see how it would work. I have seen it live. It looks like it must had been a real armor and it works more than fine providing active protection with a spring effect. We are talking about an armour that is times superior to what armor circulated later and can only be compared to later Eastern Roman models only. As it is, the armor protects better than archaic bell/muscle armors albeit at the cost of an increased weight - apparently movement to battle by chariots for rich soldiers and their men gave them that opportunity.
Now the hypothesis of the artist wanting simply to paint the ribs of the body should be rather a minority one - the soldiers seem well armed and the lines of the body are very suggestive (one can see lines of belts as well as the short sleeves of a chiton-like garment (i.e. they are not naked). From there on if the art is substractive and if this should had been of metal, of leather, of scales etc. ...yes we there may not know so we can suggest by building proposals.
