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THE CLOTHED BODY IN THE ANCIENT WORLD
17-19 January 2002Margarita Gleba
Bryn MawrLinen Corslets in Etruscan Art
Corslets made of linen are known in the classical world at least since the time of the Homeric poems, when they were common enough military attire to be mentioned without explanation. In material, construction, and appearance, the linen corslet was distinct from the "muscle" cuirass, made of large sheets of metal and requiring careful fitting to the individual owner, and from scale armor, made of many small metal or leather pieces. Unlike these other types of armor, linen corslets have not survived in the archaeological record and are known mainly from literature. Artistic representations do exists, but have seldom been identified as such.
One of the most detailed depictions of linen corslets appears in the fourth-century BCE Frangois Tomb at Vulci. The bluish-white color and the construction of the garments worn by Ajax Talamonios and Ajax Oileus indicate armor of linen fabric. Certain details of appearance, as well as distinctive decorative patterns, allow identification of such corslets in other, more schematic, representations on bronze mirrors, cistae, and statuettes, and stone and terracotta sarcophagi, from Archaic through Hellenistic periods.
The characters who wear such armor are mostly mythical heroes; quite possibly, the linen corslet was adopted by Etruscan artists as an important attribute of Homeric warriors. But the details of the garment also indicate an intimate knowledge of its appearance, as if linen corslets were made and worn in Etruria. This paper will examine depictions of linen corslets in Etruscan art and explore the issue of their association with heroic characters, as well as the likelihood of their use in battle or on parade by Etruscan warriors.