Lorica segmentata

The lorica segmentata (Latin pronunciation: [ɫoːˈriːka]), also called lorica lamminata, or banded armour is a type of personal armour that was used by soldiers of the Roman army, consisting of metal strips fashioned into circular bands, fastened to internal leather straps.

Laminated armor was also used by the Parthians and possibly the Dacians, Scythians, or Sarmatians before the Romans adopted it.

[1] Although the exact time at which the Romans adopted the armor remains unknown, it is possible that the lorica segmentata was introduced after Crassus' defeat at Carrhae in 53 BC.

[1] Soldiers wearing the lorica segmentata were depicted on the Arch of Constantine, a monument erected in Rome in 315.

However, it has been argued that these depictions are from an earlier monument by Marcus Aurelius, from which Constantine the Great incorporated portions into his Arch.

It is possible that there was a fourth type, covering the body with segmented armor joined to scale shoulder defenses.

[6] This case hardening was done by packing organic matter tightly around them and heating them in a forge, transferring carbon from the burnt materials into the surface of the metal.

[1] The strips were arranged horizontally on the body, overlapping downwards, and they surrounded the torso in two halves, being fastened at the front and back.

On monuments, Auxilia are generally shown wearing mail, not cuirasses, and carrying oval shields.

This viewpoint considers the figures in Trajan's Column to be highly stereotyped, in order to distinguish clearly between different types of troops.

Every archaeological find of such armor has been made in the western part of the Roman Empire but never in the east.

[citation needed] The tendency to portray Roman legionaries clad in this type of armour often extends to periods of time that are too early or too late in history.