Spartan Bronze Muscled Cuirass

In the Greek Archaic period, the conventional armor of the soldiers of Sparta consisted essentially of a shield, a pair of greaves (shin guards), a bronze bridled corset (chest and back plates), and a helmet of the Illyrian or Corinthian type. Additional pieces of armor would also occasionally be worn, such as arm guards or other protective plates for the lower abdomen, thighs, ankles, etc. However, in later times, the Spartiates were only lightly armed for battle, usually wearing a crimson tunic made of linen cloth (a so-called chiton) and a helmet of pilos only. Whether or not Spartan hoplites wore torso armor during the Persian wars, and if so what type, remains a controversial issue: while some argue that Spartan warriors in all likelihood continued to wear even more sculpted bronze cuirasses , others defend the idea that the Linothorax (a composite cuirass made of flax) had already been established in the meantime.