Leather Cuirass

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

First about the "thorax" word.Thorax is part of the human body.It means chest.I suppose it was used to describe armour from the time of Homer,or better lets say from the time the metal cuirasses had the form of the human chest.See the bell cuirass for example.In my opinion there is no much difference between the bell cuirass and the later muscled ones,as both were trying to recreate the human body,only the first was more primitive.
Now,after about 500bc,the time that the new thorax came in use,we have so few depictions of metal cuirasses in art!And so few cuirasses found,in comparison with the helmets and even greaves.It is almost as if during most of the 5th century the metal cuirass faced destinction.But the word thorax is used frequently,to describe not the armour of the few very rich,or the generals,but of all soldiers.So I find it more likely that the word thorax was mainly used for the new type as well,even if it was leather or linen.So the arguement that the word "thorax" was used only for the metal ones and "spolas" only for the leather ones doesn't seem valid to me.
Also,the fact that the Asians used linen protection that was different to the greek,doesn't mean that the Greek thorakes were not linen.And if as you say,Paul,the greek thorax was imported or made to look like an egyptian or an asiatic one,why don't we ever see linothorakes in egyptian art?
Doesn't it seem more logical that if the Greeks were traditionally using linen armour(Homer,fragments from Thebes and Mycenae)that is stronger and has the characteristics we know(it is stiff but flexible and very likely to have been white),continued using it in classical times?
Honestly,when you read the word "spolas",with the fragmental description of it,that it hungs from the shoulders etc,does the linothorax as we now know it,come in your mind?And with this vast usage of that type of arnour,isn't it strange that there are so few references in the word "spolas"?It is more likely that when they said "thorax" they refered to the new type that almost completely replaced the older metal chest-like armour.
Your conclusion is that thorax is metal and spolas is the leather "linothorax",but for the reasons I said it may not be as you suggest.
Laudes for your post
Khaire
Giannis