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Linothorax armor made out of linen fabric was the most common form of infantry torso armor, being cheap and relatively light. Bronze breastplate armor was also used, in forms such as a bell cuirass. Little other armor was worn, and fatal blows to unprotected areas (such as the bladder or neck) are recorded in ancient art and poetry. [12]
The term linothorax is a modern term based on the Greek λινοθώραξ, which means "wearing a breastplate of linen"; [1] a number of ancient Greek and Latin texts from the 6th century BC to the third century AD mention θώρακες λίνεοι (thorakes lineoi) (Greek) or loricae linteae (Latin) which means 'linen body armour'. These ...
This large shield was made possible partly by its shape, which allowed it to be supported comfortably on the shoulder. The revolutionary part of the shield was, in fact, the grip. Known as an argive grip, it placed the handle at the edge of the shield and was supported by a leather or bronze fastening for the forearm at the center, known as the ...
An Ancient Greek bronze cuirass, dated between 620 and 580 BC. In Hellenistic and Roman times, the musculature of the male torso was idealized in the form of the muscle cuirass [2] or "heroic cuirass" (in French the cuirasse esthétique) [3] sometimes further embellished with symbolic representation in relief, familiar in the Augustus of Prima Porta and other heroic representations in official ...
A manica (Latin: manica, "sleeve"; [1] Greek: χεῖρες, kheires, "sleeves") was a type of iron or copper-alloy laminated arm guard with curved, overlapping metal segments or plates fastened to leather straps worn by ancient and late antique heavy cavalry, infantry, and gladiators.
As body armour improved, knight's shields became smaller, leading to the familiar heater shield style. Both kite and heater style shields were made of several layers of laminated wood, [6] with a gentle curve in cross section. The heater style inspired the shape of the symbolic heraldic shield that is still used today.
Originally made from hammered bronze plate, boiled leather also came to be used. [citation needed] It is commonly depicted in Greek and Roman art, where it is worn by generals, emperors, and deities during periods when soldiers used other types. In Roman sculpture, the muscle cuirass is often highly ornamented with mythological scenes ...
Pteruges of leather or stiffened linen are depicted at the shoulders and hips, emerging from beneath his cuirass. Detail of the Alexander Mosaic , a Roman copy of a Hellenistic painting. Pteruges (also spelled pteryges ; from Ancient Greek πτέρυγες ( ptéruges ) 'feathers') are strip-like defences for the upper parts of limbs attached ...