Image: Greek - Left Greave - Walters 542336 - Three Quarter Right

Description: A greave is armor that protects the kneecap and lower leg. This example has elaborate decoration in repoussé (a technique in which metal is impressed from the rear to form a raised design), including the face of a lion over the knee and lines emphasizing the muscles of the calf on either side. Tiny holes lining the top and bottom edges secured a fabric lining and leather strips for attachment to the leg. This piece of bronze armor is an element of the hoplite's panoply, which also included a helmet, breastplate, shield, spear, and sword. The hoplite's armor signified the social status of its owner, who was required to furnish his weapons at his own expense. It also signaled a citizen's service to the community and would thus have been a source of pride to its owner (Snodgrass 1967 (1999), 58-9).
Title: Left Greave
Credit: Walters Art Museum: Home page  Info about artwork
Author: Anonymous (Greece)Unknown author
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Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
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