[I]n ancient Greece, they thought they were cutting edge when they had developed the linothorax. [The] shirt-skirt is a linothorax. But the linothorax wasn’t a fashion statement — it was a suit of armor.
Few remains have been found at historic sites. But they are mentioned in texts — and we can see them on vases and paintings.
University of Wisconsin Green Bay Professor Gregory Aldrete and a group of his students used these drawings and ancient texts to make versions of the linothorax, and research why they were effective.
Aldrete and his team discovered that linothoraxes are made using several layers of linen and rabbit glue. They had to get their hands on linen that was hand-woven and hand-sewn but also grown and harvested by traditional methods. That meant they had to grow their own linen. Which they did.
Aldrete says the idea of using layers of linen (or any material) and gluing them together to create a tough, resistant material has been used for centuries.
And it’s still used today. Some of the bullet-proof vests used by armies and police forces around the world have been created using similar concept.
The verdict?
They were light-weight, flexible…and pretty much safe from any kind of arrows in use at the time.