Quote Originally Posted by Watchman
I don't really see where the somewhat peculiar considerations of cavalry war-gear can be regarded as directly comparable to the use of cheap-and-cheerful quilted/padded "soft" body armour by light troops (well, heavy in the case of the levy pikes...).
Because it shows that at certain times and in certain areas, certain kinds of defensive equipment can drop out of favour or use. It appears that Hellenistic light troops would have had light, cheap, and "soft" body armour available in the form of the linothorax and/or the spolas.