Byzantine Armor - Arms and Legs

 Now that we have body armor out of the way, let's turn our attention to arms and legs.

Last time, we mentioned that this soldier was wearing a long-sleeved kavadion (gambeson). The sleeves provided basic arm protection. Separate padded lower arm protection also existed (but I can't find the reference right now).

For our purposes, padded armor is an excellent option. It provides light armor in the Way of the Sword rules, and is inexpensive. Medieval Collectibles offers an arming wear set, including padded arms and legs, for $19. My recommendation would be to get it in brown, because red and black or so overused in battle gaming.

When we discussed Byzantine garb, we mentioned that high leather boots were worn by the infantry. The leather was thick enough to act as leg protection. I am not certain about Way of the Sword, but most battle game groups will not count boots as armor. We can replicate the protection of leather boots and still get armor points by using leather greaves. Medieval Collectibles has a whole section for leather greaves; some are less than $30. My recommendation would be to spend a little more on their Simple Leather Greaves. Their thick leather construction actually counts as heavy armor, and they have straps (much easier to put on / take off compared to laces).

If you want heavier protection, it seems that Byzantines primarily relied on splinted armor for arms and legs. 

Unfortunately, splinted armor seems more expensive than solid bracers or greaves. Thus, I don't have recommendations as of yet for this kind of armor.

As with body armor, the Chimera Legion recognizes that the Byzantines had a lot of contact with other cultures, so some crossover is plausible. Thus, while not our primary choice, we will accept solid metal or chain arm and leg protection.

Sources cited in part 1