Greave A greave ( from the Old French " shin , shin armour " from the Arabic jaurab , meaning stocking ) is a piece of armour that protects the leg . Description . The primary purpose of greaves is to protect the tibia from attack . The tibia is a bone very close to the skin , and is therefore extremely vulnerable to just about any kind of attack . Furthermore , a successful attack on the shin results in that leg being rendered useless , greatly hampering one ' s ability to maneuver in any way . Greaves were used to counteract this . Greaves usually contained a metal outside with a felt padding inside . The felt padding was particularly important because , without it , any blow would transfer directly from the metal plating to the shin , rendering the piece of armour almost useless . History . Ancient Greece and Rome . During Greek times , greaves had been mentioned in many texts , including Hesiod ’ s " Shield of Heracles " , Homer ’ s " Iliad " and Virgil ’ s " Aeneid " . While these are primarily mythological texts , they still dealt with warfare and the fact that greaves were mentioned gives evidence that they were indeed in use . There are also non - fictional testimonies of their use among Roman light infantry ( or hastati ) from Polybius and Vegetius . These greaves were thought to be mass produced by the Romans using presses on sheets of metal and attaching lining , usually leather or cloth . While it is generally assumed that greaves were generally worn in pairs , significant amounts of evidence has been found that many wore just a single greave on their left or right leg . Many skeletons have been found buried with only a single greave , including gladiators and soldiers . It is also thought that people wore single greaves as a sign of status , as opposed to any practical use . Medieval Europe . Greaves were common until around the ninth century , where they largely disappeared . There is not much evidence of their use until the second quarter of the thirteenth century . There were a few references to the use of greaves before then , most notably the Bible ’ s Goliath and the Trinity College Apocalypse , but the lack of other evidence suggests that they were uncommon at the time . Almost all greaves used at this time are known as “ Demi - greaves ” , or greaves that only protected the shin . Early in the fourteenth century , many illustrations were found showing “ closed greaves ” , or greaves that protected the entire leg . Closed greaves are made of two plates joined on the outside by hinges and fastening with buckles and straps on the inside . Medieval Japan . Japanese greaves , known as suneate , were first introduced during the eleventh century , during the late Heian period . The earliest suneate consisted of three plates of metal covering the shin . By the Kamakura period ( 1186 - 1333 ) , suneate became a standard part of Japanese armor . Around the Muromachi period ( 1334 – 1572 ) , suneate eventually became a splint mounted on a piece of fabric with mail in between the metal splint and fabric , not unlike European greaves . This is the most common form of suneate , termed shino - suneate , and saw continued use throughout the Momoyama period ( 1573 – 1602 ) . Sometimes , mounted soldiers used the old three plate suneate that was used during the late Heian period and Kamakura period , known as tsutsu - suneate . Like its European counterparts , most suneate contain leather padding on the interior to reduce the impact of blows and to make the armor more bearable to its wearers .