Linothorax

Alexander the Great's Kevlar-like Shirt

Stab- and slash-resistant clothing might seem to be a modern innovation, but there is evidence that Alexander the Great and his army utilized similar technology.

Presented at the annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America in Anaheim, Calif., the study suggests that Alexander and his soldiers protected themselves with linothorax, a type of body armor made by laminating together layers of linen.  Indeed, Aldrede and co-investigator Scott Bartell discovered that linothorax was widely mentioned in ancient records.  “Currently we have 27 descriptions by 18 different ancient authors and nearly 700 visual images on objects ranging from Greek vases to Etruscan temple reliefs,” Aldrete said.  The main visual evidence for Alexander wearing linothorax is the famous “Alexander Mosaic” from Pompeii, in which the Macedonian king is depicted with this sort of armor.
“Our controlled experiments basically dispelled the myth that armor made out of cloth must have been inferior to other available types. Indeed, the laminated layers function like an ancient version of modern Kevlar armor, using the flexibility of the fabric to disperse the force of the incoming arrow,” Aldrete said.

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