Dimitris Katsikis from Spata literally "brings Greek history to life" in his workshop.
Great Alexander's Muscle cuirass. 4th century B.C.
With a hammer in hand and other tools, he produces armor made of metal and leather from the distant past. Works of art that literally impress, like his latest creation, which is an exact copy of the armor of King Philip II of Macedonia.
The armor of King Philip II
The armor of Philip II (359-336 BC) was found in the burial chamber of Philip along with other valuable gifts during the archeological excavation of Professor Manolis Andronikos carried out in the royal Macedonian tombs of Megali Toumpa 1977 (Vergina). Today it can be admired in the Aiges Museum alongside the other important finds of the excavation.
"For the reproduction, leather, silk, bronze and lion heads (instead of gold, which are the originals) were used, covering the metal frame of the armor and giving it vitality and shine. We should consider this armor as a jewel for Filippos, so precious that he wanted it next to him in his afterlife ", says Mr. Katsikis, pointing out that:" The techniques for the construction of the armor remained exclusively traditional ".
The armor of Alexander the Great
A major challenge for Mr. Katsikis was to "revive" the linen chest of Alexander the Great's armor, as depicted in the famous "Mosaic of Alexander", which shows the Macedonian mercenary defeating Darius at the Battle of Issus in 33 BC. As he says: "This linen chest is just one of the possible versions of Alexander the Great's armor. It was very difficult, I had to combine many things to give life back to an image - a 2100 year old mosaic. To bring it back to life in its natural form in all its glory."
This version in the photos is of the heavy type and has all the typical features of armor intended for the top Macedonian military leadership. Individual linen chests were still used in the Hellenistic period. The weight of this armor reaches 17 kg.
Mr. Katsikis started making armor in 2009 and it takes him at least three months to complete an armor. Starting from the Byzantine period and using the hagiographies of Agios Georgios as a "model", he has made 25 different armors from all phases of Greek history.
"The works I single out are four and are very important stages of Greek armor production and Greek art. The reconstruction of the oldest intact armor in the world (15th century B.C.) found in the village of "Dendra" of Argolis, the completion of a bronze Athenian armor from the late 5th century B.C., the reproduction of the chest of Philip II (4 B.C.) and the reconstruction of the armor of St. Theodore of Tire as depicted by Emmanuel Panselinos (late 12th century AD). The latter is probably the most advanced armor in world history in terms of design. " he says.
The accolades came very soon for Mr. Katsikis. Three of his suits of armor are on permanent display at the Dumbarton Oaks Museum at Harvard University in the United States, and worldwide interest in the "chariot maker" from Greece continues to grow.
