I just finished these today, a pair of greaves based on 4thC BC examples. They were executed in commercial bronze, and made to fit my customer's leg casts. As was the case with the originals, they rely upon the springiness of the metal to stay on, and have no fastenings. The only decoration is a narrow band of incised moulding around the edges - the rest speaks strongly of the Greek appreciation of masculine beauty.

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I hope you like them! More pictures are available on this Etsy listing and on my FB page.

-Hildebrandt

Kick-A$$.............Beautiful work !.................McM

Very interesting... So how does one put them on exactly? It seems like the would be too fitted to just slip over the ankle.

Oh blimey, beautiful work Jeffrey!

Yep. They just spring open. They fit snugly around the calf and hardly move at all. A lot of people like to put a small roll of padding around the ankle to stop chafing but I don't know if that is needed when the greaves are a perfect fit.

Thanks for the compliments.

The greaves rely on the hardness/springiness developed during hammering to spring closed after having been put on. I find that the easiest way to don them is to open them just wide enough to admit the heel and slip them on over the foot, but some Greek vase depictions give the impression that they were opened enough to slip right over the front of the shin. Contemporary depictions are also evidence that the greaves came short of covering the ankles bones, which is one way to avoid chafing. They are also made to be a close fit at the top of the calf, (the only part of the lower leg that can hold them up, by not tapering downward) but to have some breathing room over bones and tendons. The flare over the top of the foot occurs well enough above the foot as to prevent any contact with the foot during movement. They do prevent the evaporation of sweat, though, which is undeniably uncomfortable - not so uncomfortable as a wound, though!

-Hildebrandt