How did armor looting work in antiquity?

by ThotRecker

In the Illiad it mentions a lot how they'd strip the armor of their fallen foes after defeating them in combat. Would your average soldier on the frontline stop fighting to pick up the gear of the man he'd just slain or is Homer exaggerating the frequency of which this occurred?

DanKensington

An interesting question! More can always be said on the matter, so if anyone with the insight can post, please feel free to do so! For the meantime, we do have a previous post on the matter by u/Iphikrates, examining the Homeric tradition and what we know of it.