Achilles heals Patroclus, since he learned the arts of medicine from his tutor, Chiron. Both men are believed to be wearing linothoraxes.[citation needed] attic red-figure kylix, signed by Sosias, c. 500 BC, Antikensammlung Berlin (F 2278)
The linothorax (/ˈliːnoʊθɔːræks/, from the Ancient Greek: λινοθώραξ, Ancient Greek:[linotʰɔ̌ːraːks]) is a type of upper body armor that was used throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. 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 are usually equated with some of the armours showed in sculptures and paintings from Italy and Greece from 575 BCE onwards. Very little is known about how ancient linen armour was made. Linen armour in other cultures was usually quilted and stuffed with loose fibre or stitched together many layers thick, but it could also have been made with a special weave called twining which creates a thick, tough fabric.[2] The theory that it was made of layers of linen glued together comes from a mistranslation of a summary of a description of medieval armour in 1869.[3]
By the late 6th century BC, many paintings and sculptures show hoplites and other warriors in the Aegean wearing the linothorax instead of a bronze cuirass. This could have been due to the lower price, lesser weight, or cooler material. Artists continue to show it in the Hellenistic period after the death of Alexander the Great. The Roman emperor Caracalla equipped a "Macedonian phalanx" with linen armour around 200 AD (Cassius Dio 78.7).
^λινοθώραξ. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project.
^Granger-Taylor, H. (2012). "Fragments of Linen from Masada, Israel—the Remains of Pteryges?—and Related Finds in Weft-and Warp-Twining Including Several Slings". In Nosch, Marie-Louise (ed.). Wearing the Cloak: Dressing the Soldier in Roman Times. Ancient Textiles Series. Vol. 10. Oxford: Oxbow Books. pp. 56–84.
^Manning, S. (2021). "The History of the Idea of Glued Linen Armour". Mouseion. 17 (3): 492–514. doi:10.3138/mous.17.3.003. S2CID 237688950.
The linothorax (/ˈliːnoʊθɔːræks/, from the Ancient Greek: λινοθώραξ, Ancient Greek: [linotʰɔ̌ːraːks]) is a type of upper body armor that was used throughout...
cuirass (linothorax) they may have been integral. The cuirass itself could be variously constructed: of plate-bronze (muscle cuirass), linothorax, scale...
a xyston (long thrusting spear), and wore a bronze muscle cuirass or linothorax, shoulder guards and Boeotian helmets, but bore no shield. A kopis (curved...
Greek-speaking world. The most common form of armour was the spolas or linothorax, which was a cuirass of stiff linen built up of glued or stitched layers...
suggests that they may have worn a short Celtic mail shirt or possibly a linothorax. Thorakitai were used in armies of the Hellenistic period in a variety...
antiquity it was used to make a type of body armour, referred to as a linothorax. Additionally, linen was commonly used to make riggings, sail-cloths,...
match an associated costume. Armour Cuirass Muscle cuirass Lance rest Linothorax Pteruges Walker, Paul F (2013). The history of armour 1100–1700. Crowood...
usage doubtful when flax-based textiles (linen) were in widespread use. Linothorax was a type of armour similar to gambeson, used by ancient Greeks. Meanwhile...
was minimal enough to not cause any serious injury. Aztec warfare Armor Linothorax Gambeson "escaupil". Diccionario de la lengua española (in Spanish). Real...
armour was last worn into battle during the Satsuma Rebellion (1877). Linothorax Mirror armour "cuirass". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford...
bronze cuirasses of a more sculptured type or instead had adopted the linothōrax. During the later 5th century BC, when warfare had become more flexible...
weighing nearly 32 kilograms (70 lb), although linen armor now known as linothorax was more common since it was cost-effective and provided decent protection...
large concave shield (Aspis) and a spear (Dory), in addition to spolas or linothorax body-armor, hoplite's helmet, greaves and a xiphos or kopis sword (though...
Greek archers fought unarmored, yet some sources show archers wearing Linothorax or leather armor (like on the Nereid Monument), helmets, or even a cuirass...
bronze corslet or known as the thorax (or a linen version known as the linothorax) to protect his upper body. The corslet consisted of two plates connected...
as well. Wealthier hoplites were able to afford bronze breastplate or linothorax armor, while poorer hoplites wore little to no armor. The hoplite armor...
of the lorica hamata had flaps that were similar to those of the Greek linothorax; they ran from about mid-back to the front of the torso, and were connected...
both lead pellets and stones; stones were also commonly thrown by hand. Linothorax armor made out of linen fabric was the most common form of infantry torso...
with linothorax or a breastplate (originally bronze, but probably by this stage made of organic materials such as linen (possibly linothorax) and leather...
plumata was a sleeveless armor with no shoulder guards, that looked like a linothorax. It was possibly reserved exclusively for the use of military leaders...
richer warriors used armor in organic material like the Gauls or the Greek linothorax. Strabo and Diodorus Siculus say they fought mostly on foot, because of...
common, replaced instead with a corselet that some claim was made of linothorax (layers of linen glued together), or perhaps of leather, sometimes covered...
Alicia (2013). Reconstructing Ancient Linen Body Armor: Unraveling the Linothorax Mystery. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-1-4214-0819-4...
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