> A decade of research and mathematical models to determine that an ancient civilization wasn’t just making useless armor for fun? To be fair, making armor for

> A decade of research and mathematical models to determine that an ancient civilization wasn’t just making useless armor for fun? To be fair, making armor for fun is a decent industry/hobby in modern times, for stuff like LARPing, movie props, etc. Who's to say that the armor wasn't an example of something similar in ancient times? Taking the time to actually put it to the test, in its original context, is a good effort to prove or disprove that.