Lorica segmentata (articulated plate armour)
Lorica segmentata (coraza de bandas articuladas)
- Date
- c. 9 CE · confidence medium
- Place
- Kalkriese, Lower Saxony, Germany
- Credited to
- Roman army
- Field
- Conflict
What it is
A cuirass of articulated iron bands joined with straps and buckles that covered torso and shoulders with less weight than mail. The oldest remains are from the Kalkriese battlefield (AD 9), and it was standard in the legion during the 1st and 2nd centuries.
The name 'segmentata' is modern (16th-19th century); how the Romans called it is unknown.
What it led to
- articulated plate armour as in the Middle Ages
- standardised equipment production in military workshops (fabricae)
- the High Empire legionary