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 borne by Telamonian Ajax (,, 219; , 485; , 128).

Besides the long shield, there may have been a semi-cylindrical shield, as seen in fig. 42.

The use of the small round shield required the wearing of a breastplate, but with the large shield heavy armor would have been unnecessary.

The Homeric greaves were gaiters of cloth or leather, worn around the leg in order to prevent



the chafing of the shin against the great shield. They were provided with metal guards, specimens of which have been found in the Mycenaean graves. The greaves which Hephaestus made for Achilles were constructed of tin.

The Mycenaean helmet (fig. 43) was of leather, overlaid with metal. It contained no visor, but was ornamented with a tuft of horsehair, horn-like projections , and with knobs of metal. Often the leather helmet was adorned with rows of boars' teeth, as in the case of Meriones (, 263). A collection of such teeth has been found in the fourth grave at Mycenae.

The offensive weapons of Mycenaean times were of