Greave suspension system?

ambrosius

One of the surprises in the new Dura Europos book is a well preserved linen greave liner.

It's described as a: 'Shinguard of very stout linen (0.5 cm thick) bound by three pairs of leather ties'.

I guess it could also have been worn on its own, but the 'Final Report' makes the assumption (which is most likely correct) that it was intended as the liner for a greave.

Quintus Florentius

I just noticed in Bishop and Coulston on page 87 a reference to "the leather lininng from a greave" being "found in the Schutthugel at Vindonessa." Perhaps there is more information about this somewhere out there.

Gashford

Please be aware though that the padding I have been looking into is gladiatorial and not military. In my experience though most gladiatorial evidence can be found in military and civilian walks of life, it is generally just more flambouyant or colourful ... take the subligaculum for example.

There seems to be a couple of types of padding that I can see, how it is attached etc is conjecture as nothing (that I am aware of) exists of what the gladiators wore .. hence my interest in the Dura find mentioned above.

It is my thought that most greaves had some form of padding under them. With the gladiators this seems to have come in two main types. Padded or non padded.

The non padded seems to often be either a length of material wrapped several times around the leg and then secured with two or more bindings that give the ribbed look of much of the padding which has become very favourable following Junkelmanns work. I know that a couple of these wraps have been found and attributed to charioteers, so their use in gladiatorial contexts does not take much of a leap of the imagination. When depicted in iconography the ribbed look to the padding is easy to imagine/see. In use this type of wrapped padding is very secure and absorbs the damage the greave can cause superbly.

The padded versions I belief where rarer. I suspect this because of the cost of the materials involved in making padded garments, stitching them together and maintaining them. By the end of most fighting these material, might, be reduced to slashed and cut ribbons with stuffing falling everywhere. However, in a couple of greaves they seem to be present judging by the bell shape to the padding where the foot is quite loose and the top tied tight.

aitor iriarte

The Dura lining seems to correspond to a six-ringed, knee-covering greave.

ambrosius

The lining is of 0.5cm linen (looking like sacking) and its shape is like a Greek bronze greave, if you can imagine one folded out flat. It's obviously flexible (now, at any rate) rather than being made of several layers glued stiffly together (as might have been in a Greek linothorax). It's about 40cm long, and is twice as wide at the middle (~30cm) as at the ends (~15cm) with the top and sides rounded-off, but the bottom (where it sits above your ankle) straight (or slightly upwards curving, so as to allow your foot to flex upwards) and so it mirrors the shape of the greave. The wider mid-section looks like it's meant to wrap pretty much around the calf muscle.

As Aitor says, it would correspond to a six-ring greave. There are (remains of) three pairs of leather ties; top, middle & bottom. They could possibly have been threaded through the rings of the greave, so as to tie the lining inside the greave, as well as to tie both to the shin. The linen looks like it's been used as the lining for something, as its surface is smooth and 'felted'.

I guess it would make sense to have the lining tied inside the greave (rather than glued) to allow its removal (and the wringing out of sweat/ washing) between uses. The leather ties were sewn on using undyed linen thread, as was the leather edging. Both ties and edging are about 1.3 cm wide, with the remains of red (RED!) dye on the leather.