Single Greaves in the Late Helladic Period

Abstract

It has been universally assumed that metal greaves recovered from Late Bronze Age contexts were worn in pairs, one on each leg, and pictorial evidence supports paired protection in the case of what are probably organic leggings of leather or cloth. There are indications, however, that bronze greaves were worn on only one leg before the 12th century B.C., perhaps functioning as a symbol of rank or status, rather than actually intended to protect the shin. Later parallels for the burial of warriors with only one greave exist, and evidence for the use of "uni-lateral" armor can be found in equipment used by Roman gladiators, who often wore greaves, shoulder-protectors, and arm-guards on only one side.The use of single greaves in Mycenaean Greece, along with other examples of "unilateral" armor such as the single arm-guard from Dendra, lends weight to the suggestion that a great deal of what survives of Mycenaean military equipment was worn as much or more for symbolic reasons as for protection.