[split] Phalanx warfare: use of the spear

[Dan Howard]

People are sometimes surprised to hear that published thicknesses for Greek bronze 'thorakes' are often in the region 1-2mm, as being rather thin.

1-2mm is typical of many breastplates that aren't expected to stop firearms or very heavy bows. The problem with Greek cuirasses is the weight. A cuirass that has a uniform thickness of over 1 mm should weigh more than the listed weights. The only way to reconcile these thicknesses and the listed weights is to conclude that the weight was controlled by making the plate thinner over less vulnerable parts of the body just like cuirasses from other regions and time periods. The same feature is evident in bronze shield facings too. They are thickest around the boss and thinnest at the rim.