Alexander the Great Armour

Made to order · Price on request · Individually commissioned

Overlapping scales, sculptural ornament and deep red edging give this Archaeopolis armour its distinctive character. Developed through contemporary design and historical interpretation, the series is available by individual commission, with sizing, finish and production schedule agreed for your project.

Design & art direction: Georgios Katsos / Archaeopolis
Making: Dimitris Katsikis

The documented armour

The six archive photographs in the gallery show the armour from different angles and in detail. Visible features include overlapping scales, broad shoulder flaps, a central face ornament, lion-head fittings and red borders. These photographs document the Archaeopolis piece offered for commission.

Historical and archaeological context

Alexander in ancient imagery

The Alexander Mosaic, discovered in the House of the Faun at Pompeii in 1831 and now in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN, inventory 10020), provides an important ancient image of Alexander in armour. The mosaic dates to the late second century BCE, well after Alexander’s lifetime. It depicts his confrontation with Darius III; whether the battle represented is Issus or Gaugamela remains debated.

In the detail below, Alexander wears armour with broad shoulder elements and a frontal Gorgon ornament. These offer a visual comparison for the shoulder arrangement and chest ornament of the Archaeopolis design. The mosaic does not establish the complete construction, materials or scale pattern of this modern piece. Read the archaeological study of the mosaic.

The Gorgoneion

The frontal head of Medusa, or Gorgoneion, had an apotropaic role in Greek art: it was intended to ward off harm. Its appearance on armour and related equipment belongs to this wider protective imagery. This gives historical context to the central face motif, without identifying the contemporary ornament as a copy of a particular excavated fitting. The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Medusa in Ancient Greek Art.

Surviving Macedonian armour

Excavated material offers a different kind of evidence from painted or mosaic imagery. The royal tombs at Aigai include an iron cuirass decorated with gold and bronze greaves, as described by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture. These finds document the richness and variety of Macedonian royal equipment; they are contextual evidence, rather than an exact archaeological model for this scale-armour design. Hellenic Ministry of Culture: Aigai.

Interpretation: “Alexander the Great Armour” is the title of the Archaeopolis series. The piece is a contemporary historical interpretation, not an ancient artefact or a claimed exact reconstruction of armour demonstrably worn by Alexander.

Your commission

Contact us to discuss the intended use, body measurements, preferred finish and required date. Materials, dimensions, weight, edition status and any particular historical reference are confirmed individually. The final quotation depends on the agreed specification and delivery destination. Production and shipping dates are arranged with your commission.

Discuss an Alexander the Great Armour commission →

Further reading

• Demet Beşikçi, “Ancient Repairs on the Alexander Mosaic from Pompeii,” Journal of Mosaic Research 16 (2023), 63–75. DOI: 10.26658/jmr.1376708.
• MANN: conservation of the Alexander and Darius Mosaic.
• Madeleine Glennon, “Medusa in Ancient Greek Art,” The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2017).