Reconstructing Ancient Linen Body Armor: Unraveling the Linothorax Mystery

1 Ancient Evidence for Linen Armor

c h a p t e r o n e Ancient Evidence for Linen Armor The two main types of evidence for the existence and appearance of the linothorax are mentions in written texts and visual depictions in vase paintings, wall paintings, and sculptural reliefs. References to linen would not be unexpected, for the fabric was in common use in the ancient world and the flax plant was native to much of the Mediterranean world. Literary Sources The generic word used by ancient Greek authors to refer to any sort of body armor, whatever its composition, was thorax (qwvrax), literally meaning “chest.” In translations , this term is usually rendered as “corselet,” “cuirass,” or “breastplate.” The term linothorax (linoqwvrax), therefore, is literally translatable as a “linen corselet,” and it turns up early and prominently in Greek literature, featured twice in the famous ship list from Book 2 of Homer’s Iliad. The lesser Ajax, leader of the Locrians from the mainland of Greece, is described as employing such armor: “He was small of stature, with a linothorax” (ojligo~ me;n e[hn, linoqwvrax, 2.529). The word appears again a few hundred lines later at 2.830: “These were led by the linothorax-wearing Adrastus and Amphius, the twin sons of Merops of Percote” (tw'n h\rcw[/ “ Adrhstov~ te kai; “ Amφio~ linoqwvrhx ui|e duvw Mevropo~ Perkwsivou). Obviously referring to these passages, Pliny the Elder states that, for this era, “Homer testifies that warriors, though only a few, fought in linen corselets” (Natural History 19.6). In addition, there are at least 17 instances when later commentators or scholiasts of Homer, including Aristonicus and Eustathius, quote the word when citing or repeating these two passages. If Homer is to be believed, linen armor was in use at this time by cultures on both sides of the Aegean. The term linothorax (or linothorex) also occurs twice in Strabo’s Geography. At 13.1.10, Strabo repeats verbatim Homer’s description of the linothorax-wearing Adrastus and Amphius of Percote in Asia Minor (tw'n h\rcw[/ “ Adrhstov~ te kai; “ Amφio~ linoqwvrhx ui|e duvw Mevropo~ Perkwsivou). Earlier in his work, Strabo employs the word in an original context, describing the warriors of Lusitania in 12 Reconstructing Ancient Linen Body Armor Spain as habitually wearing the linothorax in battle: “Most of them wear linothorakes ” (linoqwvrake~ oiJ pleivou~, 3.3.6). Given his exact quoting of Homer at 13.1.10, Strabo appears to have learned the term from the poet and then applied it to the Lusitanians at 3.3.6. Another notable usage of linothorax is found in an oracle given to the Megarians in which the warlike Argives are characterized as “the linothorax-wearing Argives, the goads of war” (ΔArgei'oi linoqwvrhke~, kevntra ptolevmoio, Anthologia Graeca 14.73.6). This line forms part of a famous (but possibly spurious) Delphic oracle that was a reply to the question, “Who is the best of the Hellenes?” The oracle occurs in a considerable number of versions in different primary sources, some of which include the reference to the Argives wearing linen armor, and some of which do not. The version that mentions the detail about the linothorax is repeated (in slightly different forms) in at least 10 places by various authors. Finally, the word linothorax makes at least seven appearances in ancient lexicons, word lists, and grammatical works, including those of Aelius Herodianus and Hesychius. In all, the word linothorax is used 41 times by 14 named authors or commentators and 13 anonymous ones. The available literary evidence for the existence of this type of armor can be augmented by considering an even larger number of texts that employ the descriptive phrase “a thorax made of linen.” The ancient Greeks (as well as other ancient Mediterranean civilizations) had the habit of dedicating arms and armor, particularly those seized as spoils during wartime, at temples. Indeed, much of our knowledge of ancient bronze armor is derived from items that have been uncovered by archaeologists digging in these sanctuaries. Unfortunately, the highly perishable nature of fabric means that these excavations have not yielded intact examples of linen cuirasses. From literary sources, however, it is clear that dedications of linen body armor were made at temples and sanctuaries and that linen armor was a common sight at such places. Herodotus describes in detail two remarkable breastplates made of linen (qwvrhka livneon, 2.182, 3.47) that King Amasis of Egypt...