Editing Greave (section)

===Ancient Greece and Rome===
The reference to greaves (Ancient Greek: κνημίδες){{cn|date=February 2019}} exists in various texts of classical antiquity, including ''[[The Shield of Heracles]]'', ''[[The Iliad]]'' and ''[[The Odyssey]]'', ''The [[Bibliotheca of Pseudo-Apollodorus]]'', and ''[[The Aeneid]]''. In the ''Illiad'', the Greek forces are commonly referred to as "well-greaved Acheans" (''euknēmidas Achaioi'', ἐϋκνήμιδες Ἀχαιοί). The Iliad also mention the ἐπισφύρια which were either plates covering the ankle , attached to the lower edge of the greaves , or more probably a clasp fastening them round the ankle and were often silver.<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0062:id=ocrea-harpers Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898), Ocrea]</ref>
While these are primarily mythological texts, they still dealt with warfare and the fact that greaves were mentioned is evidence that they were indeed in use. There are also non-fictional testimonies of their use among Roman light infantry (or [[hastati]]) from [[Polybius]] up to [[Vegetius]]. These greaves are thought to have been mass-produced by the Romans using presses on sheets of metal and then attaching lining, usually leather or cloth. While it is generally assumed that greaves were always worn in pairs, there is evidence that many wore just a single greave on the left or right leg. Many skeletons have been found buried with only a single greave, including gladiators and soldiers.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Fortenberry|first=Diane|title=Single Greaves in the Late Helladic Period|journal=American Journal of Archaeology|date=Oct 1991|volume=95|issue=4|pages=623–627|doi=10.2307/505895|jstor=505895 |s2cid=192937302 }}</ref> People may have worn a single greave as a sign of status, as opposed to any practical use.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}}