The Lorica Segmentata, Armour of Rome.
Mar 15, 2017 13:43:28 GMT
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Post by Bismarck Jr on Mar 15, 2017 13:43:28 GMT
The Lorica Segmentata is a well known piece of armour from the post-Marian reform era in Rome. During the imperial era, it was replaced with a chainmail armour called Lorica Hamata.
Lorica Segmentata means "Segmented Breastplate" in the Roman language of Latin. Lorica Hamata means "Breastplate of Coats". They get their name from the way their armour looks. Lorica Segmentata is built in segments that snap together to form one solid suit. Lorica Hamata is chainmail that is very thin and resembles a shirt of iron. It is not too uncommon to wear a tunic under Hamata instead of lighter armour. Lorica Segmentata, however, could not fit on top of armour, and so Roman Legionnaries would wear a tunic underneath. The colour would sometimes signify the unit, marines wore blue, officers and the First Cohort wore red.
Lorica Segmentata is made out of multiple segments of iron laced together by chamfers. Each segment has a certain amount of space allowing for shade across each platform. This allows for angles in the armour that better allow protection (at the cost of stabbing risk, but this will be touched on later) and also ventilates the inside, much to the comfort of a traveling army in the East of Greece.
The armour was used in conjunction with a large rectangular shield called a scutum. The scutum was often bright red with golden inscriptions. The shield itself is the reason the Lorica Segmentata has the space between the segments. The pure size of the enormous wooden targe was enough armour in general that it was pointless to make plate armour, something that did not even exist in classical times. A soldier would cover his whole body with the shield and stab with the gladius, his sword.
The armour was fascened together with two brass knobs that keeps it connected with the shoulder armour. The shoulders of the Lorica Segmentata varied quite often. Many variants saw it having very short shoulder armour, with one shoulder angling up to protect the neck. Another saw both functioning as sleeves. These sleeves have their own name and function as their own armour, but were rarely used due to the scutum rendering them pointless.
The armour lasted until the introduction of Lorica Hamata, due to cost efficiency and stab protection as Scutum was reduced in size and became more oval shaped.
Lorica Segmentata means "Segmented Breastplate" in the Roman language of Latin. Lorica Hamata means "Breastplate of Coats". They get their name from the way their armour looks. Lorica Segmentata is built in segments that snap together to form one solid suit. Lorica Hamata is chainmail that is very thin and resembles a shirt of iron. It is not too uncommon to wear a tunic under Hamata instead of lighter armour. Lorica Segmentata, however, could not fit on top of armour, and so Roman Legionnaries would wear a tunic underneath. The colour would sometimes signify the unit, marines wore blue, officers and the First Cohort wore red.
Lorica Segmentata is made out of multiple segments of iron laced together by chamfers. Each segment has a certain amount of space allowing for shade across each platform. This allows for angles in the armour that better allow protection (at the cost of stabbing risk, but this will be touched on later) and also ventilates the inside, much to the comfort of a traveling army in the East of Greece.
The armour was used in conjunction with a large rectangular shield called a scutum. The scutum was often bright red with golden inscriptions. The shield itself is the reason the Lorica Segmentata has the space between the segments. The pure size of the enormous wooden targe was enough armour in general that it was pointless to make plate armour, something that did not even exist in classical times. A soldier would cover his whole body with the shield and stab with the gladius, his sword.
The armour was fascened together with two brass knobs that keeps it connected with the shoulder armour. The shoulders of the Lorica Segmentata varied quite often. Many variants saw it having very short shoulder armour, with one shoulder angling up to protect the neck. Another saw both functioning as sleeves. These sleeves have their own name and function as their own armour, but were rarely used due to the scutum rendering them pointless.
The armour lasted until the introduction of Lorica Hamata, due to cost efficiency and stab protection as Scutum was reduced in size and became more oval shaped.
