What did the armor of Achilles really look like?
“But here, Achilles, accept this glorious armor, look, a gift from the god of fire — burnished bright, finer than any mortal has ever borne across his back! Urging, the goddess laid the armor down at Achilles’ feet and the gear clashed out in all its blazoned glory. A tremor ran through all the Myrmidon ranks — none dared to look straight at the glare, each fighter shrank away. Not Achilles. The more he gazed, the deeper his anger went, his eyes flashing under his eyelids, fierce as fire — exulting, holding the god’s shining gifts in his hands.”
Iliad, Book 19, Fagles translation
(Above: Achilles’ armor as depicted in the 2018 game Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey)
The armor that Achilles wore during the Trojan War plays an important part in his legend. Major events in the war, including the confrontation between the heroes Hector and Patroclus and Achilles’ return to battle, hinge on who has possession of the famous armor.
Given its importance, the armor has been depicted many times over the millennia, including by modern digital artists. So what do we know about Achilles’ armor and how do the various depictions stack up against the mythological descriptions?
Let’s start with the fundamentals:
There were Two sets of achilles armor
It is often overlooked that Achilles did not use just one set of armor during his participation in the Trojan War. He arrives at Troy with one set of armor and uses it until he lends it to his best friend Patroclus, who is killed by Hector. From then on, Hector wears Achilles’ original suit of armor and Achilles acquires a second, brand new set from his mother, Thetis.
both sets were Divinely crafted
Thetis Receiving the Weapons of Achilles from Hephaestus by Anthony van Dyck (1630-1632)
It is clear in the mythological account that both sets of armor that Achilles wore at Troy were created by Hephaestus, the Olympian god of fire. The first set was made for Achilles’ father, King Peleus, which he gave to his son before he went off to war. The second set was made for Achilles after the hero’s mother, the sea goddess/nymph Thetis, pleads with Hephaestus to forge her son a new set of armor after Hector acquires it.
The armor was enchanted
Hephaestus, the god of fire and metal-working, forged the armor of Achilles to be impenetrable to attack. In other words, according to myth, it could not be pierced by enemy strikes in battle. Some scholars have suggested that the power of the enchanted armor gave Achilles his special status as the Greek army’s greatest warrior, rather than his own personal attributes.
Homer’s description
The Iliad is our definitive source on this subject, as the epic poem gives the oldest and most comprehensive description of the the hero’s armor. Here’s what Homer says about Achilles’ first set of armor, when Achilles lends it to Patroclus:
“That was all, and Patroclus armed himself in Achilles’ gleaming bronze. First he wrapped his legs with well-made greaves, fastened behind the heels with silver ankle-clasps, next he strapped the breastplate round his chest, blazoned with stars — swift Achilles’ own — then over his shoulder Patroclus slung his sword, the fine bronze blade with its silver-studded hilt, and then the shield strap and the sturdy, massive shield and over his powerful head he set the well-forged helmet, the horsehair crest atop it tossing, bristling terror, and he took two rugged spears that fit his grip.” (Iliad, Book 16, Fagles translation)
Homer makes it clear that Patroclus did not take Achilles’ famous ash-spear, which had been given to him by the centaur Chiron. Only Achilles was capable of weilding that particular weapon, according to legend.
Later, we get the description of Achilles’ second set of armor, which is even more impressive. He starts with the famous shield:
“And first Hephaestus makes a great and massive shield, blazoning well-wrought emblems all across its surface, raising a rim around it, glittering, triple-ply with a silver shield-strap run from edge to edge and five layers of metal to build the shield itself, and across its vast expanse with all his craft and cunning the god creates a world of gorgeous immortal work.” (Iliad, Book 18, Fagles translation)
There is a long description of the various scenes depicted on the shield, which include cities (in war and peacetime), a vineyard, and the ocean. You can find more details about the shield here.
“And once the god had made that great and massive shield he made Achilles a breastplate brighter than gleaming fire, he made him a sturdy helmet to fit the fighter’s temples, beautiful, burnished work, and raised its golden crest and made him greaves of flexing, pliant tin. Now, when the famous crippled Smith had finished off that grand array of armor, lifting it in his arms he laid it all at the feet of Achilles’ mother Thetis — and down she flashed like a hawk from snowy Mount Olympus bearing the brilliant gear, the god of fire’s gift.” (Iliad, Book 18, Fagles translation)
There are many other mentions of the armor in the Iliad, with most referencing the armor’s shining, fire-like brilliance. Here is an interesting webpage where various illustrated possibilities of the Iliad helmets are proposed and analyzed.
Boar tusk helmet, Heraklion Archaeological Museum
A Historical Achilles?
As far as anyone knows, Achilles is purely a mythological figure (i.e. fictional) invented by Homer or his precursors. Although the name “Achilles” dates back into the Bronze Age (which ended around 1200 BC), most aspects of Homer’s Iliad, including the style of warfare he describes, are inspired from later eras (more on this debate here). In other words, the armor Homer describes is probably more consistent with the armor of Archaic Greece (approx. 800-480 BCE) than Bronze Age Greece.
However, a few battle helmets from Bronze Age (also called Mycenaean) Greece have been discovered by archaeologists. The one to the left is made of boar tusk and leather, and is similar to Homer’s description of Odysseus’ helmet in the Iliad. It is one of a small number of references to objects or names in the epic poem that clearly date back to Mycenaean times.
Ancient depictions
Homer’s Iliad may be the most important ancient source we have on the armor of Achilles, but it is not the only one. Achilles’ armor was also depicted in various pieces of ancient artwork. Here are a few of many examples.
Hephaestus presents Thetis with armour for her son Achilles, c. 490-480 BCE
Achilles receives armour crafted by the god Hephaestus from his mother Thetis, c. 450 BCE
Achilles and Memnon fighting, between Thetis and Eos, Attic black-figure amphora, c. 510 BC, from Vulci
Black-figure, white-background lekythos by the Diosphos Painter showing Achilles in a chariot dragging the corpse of Hector behind him, ca. 490 BC, found in Eretria, now in the Louvre, Paris
Although these images incorporate some of the aspects of Homer’s description, such as the helmet with an elaborate crest, there are also differences. For instance, the shield design is not the same.
Clearly, there were various interpretations of what Achilles’ armor may have looked like in the ancient world, and it is important to note that Homer’s story of Achilles is not the only acceptable version. The mythological tradition of Achilles was broader than any single source, allowing artists and storytellers to bring their own unique creativity to bear as they tapped into an overarching legend.
Recent depictions
Here are a few of the more popular representations of Achilles’ armor from the 21st century.
Troy (2004 film)
Brad Pitt’s famous take on Achilles is among the best known in modern pop culture. In this scene, he defeats the opposing army’s best warrior while wearing armor that isn’t particularly reminiscent of any ancient depiction.
The armor appears to include leather aspects and the helmet is Corinthian in style. Here is a good answer from Reddit “Ask Historians” about the authenticity (or lack thereof) of this particular look.
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
The armor of Achilles was a powerful item in this super popular 2018 video game. The helmet appears to be a variation of Corinthian, and all of the pieces have a more intricate design than Troy’s (the film) minimalist look. Read more about it here.
Total War Saga: Troy
The creators of this 2020 game blended elements of historical Bronze Age Greece with later eras, as well as pure fantasy. But the horns on Achilles’ second set of armor evoke the Bronze Age and the “shining” look of the armor feels closest to Homer’s description. For those reasons, I tend to favor this version of the recent examples above. Also, the trailer below is pretty badass.
Conclusion
Because Achilles is a mythological figure, there is no single “correct” depiction of his armor. Many people throughout ancient and modern have presented their own interpretations of the armor. Given his stature in the ancient Greek world, Homer is the most widely-cited and well-known source on Achilles. The hero is the primary character in one of his two famous epics. But others have offered their own take on the supernatural armor as well, presenting it in a way they believe will be most recognizable and compelling to their specific audience. Ultimately, the “real” armor, like the real Achilles, is up to our own imaginations.
