myArmoury.com - Greek Thigh Armor (Archaic Greece)

Posts: 1,084 Location: Finland

Mon 06 Aug, 2018 11:52 am

They knew, but those bits were not unwanted - leopard pelts with the head and paws attached are not an unusual warrior accoutrement in period art.

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Matthew Amt

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Posts: 1,456 Location: Laurel, MD, USA

Mon 06 Aug, 2018 5:08 pm

Mikko Kuusirati wrote:

They knew, but those bits were not unwanted - leopard pelts with the head and paws attached are not an unusual warrior accoutrement in period art.

I know, I just had to razz Joe! :D

Matthew

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Joe A

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Posts: 89 Location: Philadelphia, USA

Mon 06 Aug, 2018 9:14 pm

Matthew Amt wrote:

Joe A wrote:

Never thought much about thigh guards til now. Interesting discussion.

In the "Spartan Relief Vase" note that the very heavily armored Hoplite with the thigh guards is supported by a much less armored companion to the right with only a helmet for protection, a Naue II sword, and what appears to be rocks in both hands. His braided hair is interesting as it may exclude this character being a slave. If you look closely at what this lightly armed character is wearing you will note an animal head dangling down below his waist and behind the scabbard, an early "spolas" perhaps?

It's probably Herakles--lion pelt! (Unless you think early leatherworkers didn't know how to trim unwanted parts off a hide before making armor out of it? :p :D )

Matthew

We should not take the depictions too seriously even if it's all we have to go by at times, BUT I discounted the Herc pelt idea as he always wore the lion head as his helmet/hat. Private parts protector?

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Matthew Amt

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Posts: 1,456 Location: Laurel, MD, USA

Tue 07 Aug, 2018 7:14 am

Joe A wrote:

Matthew Amt wrote:

Joe A wrote:

Never thought much about thigh guards til now. Interesting discussion.

In the "Spartan Relief Vase" note that the very heavily armored Hoplite with the thigh guards is supported by a much less armored companion to the right with only a helmet for protection, a Naue II sword, and what appears to be rocks in both hands. His braided hair is interesting as it may exclude this character being a slave. If you look closely at what this lightly armed character is wearing you will note an animal head dangling down below his waist and behind the scabbard, an early "spolas" perhaps?

It's probably Herakles--lion pelt! (Unless you think early leatherworkers didn't know how to trim unwanted parts off a hide before making armor out of it? :p :D )

Matthew

We should not take the depictions too seriously even if it's all we have to go by at times, BUT I discounted the Herc pelt idea as he always wore the lion head as his helmet/hat. Private parts protector?

OH, that's a good point! Plus a rock isn't a club. Hmmmm....

Matthew

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Dan Howard

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Posts: 3,637 Location: Maitland, NSW, Australia

Tue 07 Aug, 2018 8:12 am

Matthew Amt wrote:

It's probably Herakles--lion pelt! (Unless you think early leatherworkers didn't know how to trim unwanted parts off a hide before making armor out of it? :p :D )

It is Menelaus; he wore a leopard pelt in the Iliad. The artist specifically gave the figure a spotted pelt so he didn't have to label him "Menelaus". Ancient Greeks would have known who it was supposed to be. Agamemnon and Diomedes wore lion pelts. Dolon wore a wolf pelt. There are others who wore animal pelts but I can't think of them.

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