Epos Custom Leather

28/03/2026

At last the final piece of this armor has been completed. A hand woven belt in shades of green red and yellow, tied up with Hercules knot, showing military rank.
For those of you who asked why the green from the mosaic wasn't added, it was because the belt wasn't finished.
I do hope we captured the aesthetics of Alexander's armor as shown on the famous mosaic of the battle of Issus.

03/03/2026

Details of the amazing linothorax of Alexander the Great as depicted on the mosaic of the battle of Issus.

25/02/2026

The reconstruction on the breastplate of Alexander the great from the mosaic of the battle of Issus.

A detailed explanation on the approach.

This representation is a result of a lot of research and planning with the goal being a linothorax as close to the original as possible, aesthetically at least. From ancient scriptures we know that this particular armor was in fact a linothorax. The base of it is a layer of thick veg tanned cowhide layered with many coats of 100%pure linen and glue. The overall thickness on the parts not layered with extra decorative leather or metal is 6-7mm. In designing the decorative elements we took into account a scientific paper.
This paper helped with choosing the right colors for the reconstruction of this armor. It is titled "From tiny to immense: Geological spotlight onthe Alexander Mosaic (NationalArchaeological Museum of Naples, Italy) usingnon-invasive in situ analyses". In this paper the authors conducted a thorough color analysis of the tesserae used as well as an analysis under uv light. This revealed to us the real colors used on the armor which can not be seen in regular photographs of the mosaic. We adjusted the colors of the mosaic picture to the colors of the tesserae and got our first clear view. We could now see what was brass, bronze and gold, as each one was depicted using different shades of yellow. This followed our research of the materials used in that time period. Brass and bronze were still mainly used for adding protection to armor but we are also seeing the beginning of iron use in weapons and armor. An excellent example is Phllip the 2nd's iron cuirass (the father of Alexander the Great) displayed in the museum of Royal tombs in Vergina.
Since Alexander's though was a linothorax we analysed the oxidation and hues of the metals mentioned above to decipher the mosaic depiction.
What we believe were metal parts are the following:
1) The flower adorned tie rings (which we believe were made out of gold just like in Phillip's armor
2) The gorgon plate on the chest (Judging from the hue was probably made out of brass )
3) The scales around the waist (also brass or bronze)
4) The square decorative elements on the epomides (brass)
For the gorgon plate we replicated the exact gorgon head of Phillip the 2nd , which was worn on his armor. To that we added more snakes on the side so that it matched the mosaic. The entire plate and sculpture is made out of 100% brass and was then also gold plated in order to keep the shine and original color. (Keeping the gorgon plate and scales from oxidation was a choice made by our customer). This amazing piece was created by ARCHA ICON.
Another thing the uv pictures from that article showed us is the design on the epomides. With part of the mosaic destroyed and part of the epomides hidden under Alexander's cape we couldn't see clearly the decorative element. Was it an anthemion? Another medusa? But the uv light showed us a piece of the upper end of the element. We spent a lot of time trying to identify the object until we found our best match to be "zeus' thunderbolt ". Another great symbol of power that matched Alexander the Great's status, often seen on the epomides of other sculptures of the same era.
This symbol is depicted in white...which is troubling us as to what it was made out of. A metal plate with the element painted? Was it carved out of bone or tooth? Can we make that assumption from the handle of his sword which is also shown white? Our initial thought was that it could be embroidered but we quickly turned it down since the base of the epomides is white linen...and the design looks carved or etched onto another plate. Due to the cost sky rocketing if we went with a carved ivory piece we decided to go with carved leather and an appropriate white paint.
The same was done for the piece under the gorgon plate. A thick carved leather panel was added and we handcarved the Greek waves border on the bottom.
As for the pteryges on the epomides these are made out of deer hide as a base with the same fabric layers on top. A leather of the same thickness as the rest of the armor, but of a different softness. A much more pliable leather to ensure protection, but also that they would gracefully drape over the shoulders when worn.
Regarding the back of the epomides we had no information to work with. No depiction nor mention in any text. However given the fact that the symbol of vergina is very often seen on the epomides on depictions of armor on ancient ceramics, we thought it d only be natural for Alexander to showcase this symbol of his homeland as well. Vergina's sun was embroidered in the back by hand.
Only two artistic liberties were taken on this armor. The first was adding the 3rd row of pteryges at the bottom. It felt like a must given Alexander's status. Although it was unclear given the mosaics condition if there was a 3rd row. The second one was the grey decorative line on the bottom of the pteryges over the tassels. We did try it but it just didn't work with tieing the whole piece together. So we used yellow instead.
The belt is currently being woven on a loom out of wool and will be added to the armor as a final touch.

22/02/2026

Today is a very special day for me. I am finally able to present this trully epic piece I have been creating for the past 4 months. It is a product of intense labor and planing along with some great collaborations.
The breastplate (linothorax) Of Alexander the Great as depicted on the mosaic of the battle of Issus!
I would like to thank archaeologist Spyros Bakas for his knowledge and guidance throughout this project. I messaged him so many times about the tiniest details and he was always there to answer, explain and research.
Following I d like to thank Elias from ARCHA ICON who made the gorgon plate for this project. The head is an exact replica from the armor of Philip the 2nd, father of Alexander the Great. He delivered an amazing solid brass sculpture along with added snakes to match the mosaic.

Lastly I d like to thank Schönfeld Rīkaharduz who ordered and funded this creation! Sometimes we need you guys in order to make something trully epic!

I think that this is the closest recreation (aesthetically at least) of this armor so far and I couldn't be happier that I was given the chance to make it!
More pictures to follow !
Thank you for your support!

21/02/2026

The most epic armor of all!
The breastplate of Alexander the Great from the battle of Issus!
What an amazing and nerve-wracking project this was! But the result makes me happy and super proud!
The beautiful brass gorgon plate was created by the very talented ARCHA ICON !

04/10/2025

Είμαστε ιδιαίτερα ευγνώμωνες που συμμετείχαμε σε αυτήν την προσπάθεια φτιάχνοντας 2 πανοπλίες για την έκθεση. Αξίζει να την επισκεφτείτε!

Ένα εντυπωσιακό θεματικό πάρκο ήρθε στη Θεσσαλονίκη και καλεί μικρούς και μεγάλους να ανακαλύψουν την ιστορία

27/07/2025

Leather Mycenaean helmet created using the picture of a Hittite fragment of a clay vessel from Bogazkoy as a refference, dated around 1350 BC.

25/07/2025

10/05/2024

Ancient Greek leather thorax featuring a carved gorgon head.

02/05/2022

Proud to be part of this amazing effort.

02/03/2022

Another custom made ancient Greek linothorax completed!