Pteryges
The pteryges (Greek) or pteruges (Latin.) (Lit .: feathers or wings ) were a common item of clothing or armor in ancient times. It consisted of a series of textile or leather strips, which were often also studded with metal.
Description and use
Pteryges came in various forms. As a piece of clothing, they were worn over the shoulders and fastened with a belt at hip height. A shorter version that did not cover the upper body only hung from a hip belt. The origin of the pteryges is seen in the Greek linothorax made of linen , the edges of which were regularly incised with fringes.
As part of the armor of Greek hoplites and Roman armor, several partially overlapping rows of textile or leather strips covered the shoulders as well as part of the upper arms and hung below the breastplate over the lower abdomen to just above the knees. Together with the iron fittings, they formed a protection of these parts that did not restrict freedom of movement. The nature and thus protective effect as well as the attachment of these pteryges is controversial in research. In part, the pteryges in the Roman legion also represented a rank indicator that had a protective function that was inferior to standard armor.
As part of the belt of the Roman legionaries ( Cingulum militare ), pteryges came into use from around the middle of the 1st to the end of the 2nd century AD. Four to eight narrow leather strips with riveted ornate round metal fittings and ivy leaf-like metal tips were attached to the belt so that they hung down in front of the crotch . The use of these pteryges on the Roman military belt is not clear. It seems unlikely that the thin leather strips were really useful as protection against bumps in the pelvic area. They are given a more decorative or psychological function, in that it is assumed that the clatter of metal pieces on the pteryges while marching underlined the presence of a legion and thus reinforced the impression on the enemy.
Later, pteryges were also attached to helmets to protect the neck while allowing freedom of movement. This variant mainly appeared in the Middle Ages in the Middle East.
literature
- Lesley Adkins, Roy A. Adkins: Handbook of Life in Ancient Rome . Oxford University Press (US) 1998, ISBN 978-0-19-512332-6 , p. 82 ( limited online version in Google Book Search - USA )
- Liza Cleland, Glenys Davies, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones: Greek and Roman dress from A to Z . Routledge 2007, ISBN 978-0-415-22661-5 , p. 155 ( limited online version in Google Book Search - USA )
- Jill Chondra: The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Clothing Through World History: Prehistory to 1500 CE . Greenwood Publishing Group 2008, ISBN 978-0-313-33663-8 , p. 264 ( limited online version in Google Book Search - USA )
- Peter Connolly : The Roman Army: Tiberius Claudius Maximus, soldier in the service of Trajan . Verlag Tessloff, Nuremberg 1996, ISBN 3-7886-0745-9 .
- Marcus Junkelmann : The Legions of Augustus. The Roman soldier in the archaeological experiment. 9th edition. Zabern, Mainz 2003, ISBN 3-8053-0886-8 , pp. 162-163, 167-168