Lorica Segmentata

Origin

The lorica segmentata appeared in the Roman army around the early 1st century AD and was used as the legionary's armor for some two centuries, into the 3rd. Its earliest form goes back to the Kalkriese type from the area of the Teutoburg Forest, and it later changed into the Corbridge and Newstead types. Rather than wholly replacing the older mail, this armor was worn alongside it, and from the 3rd century, as the organization and supply system of the Roman army changed, it gradually disappeared and gave way again to mail and scale armor. That is, the segmentata was only the form representing one period of Roman armor, not what every era and every kind of troop wore.

Features

• Several curved iron plates, or bands, joined by leather straps and buckles
• Protection centered on the torso and shoulders for mobility
• Stronger against cuts and arrows than mail of the same weight
• Can be taken apart into a few sections for carrying on the march
• Depicted in detail on Trajan's Column and other ancient remains
• The name segmentata is a later coinage of the 16th century

Stories

The lorica segmentata was the standard torso armor of the Roman legionary infantry, worn over a thick padded garment beneath. The horizontally overlapping iron bands moved as if sliding as the body bent and straightened, so that, heavy plate as it was, it did not hinder the legionary's combat motion of drawing and thrusting the sword in close formation. Equipped together with the helmet and the great shield, the scutum, it guarded the torso firmly from cuts and projectiles while still allowing free fighting. Being fastened with leather straps and buckles, it could be put on and off fairly easily, and on the march it was taken apart into a few sections and carried on the back.

Weakness

The weakness of the lorica segmentata is its range of protection and the trouble of maintenance. Covering only the torso and shoulders, it left the arms and legs unprotected, and above all the many small fittings such as leather straps, buckles, and hooks, and the leather itself, corroded or rotted and snapped easily, so it needed frequent maintenance. Though the parts were standardized, rather than using one suit whole for a long time as with mail, it had to be tended with constant small repairs. In the end, from the 3rd century, it gave way again to the simpler, sturdier, more easily maintained mail and scale armor.

Cultural Significance

The lorica segmentata is the armor that, in the modern popular imagination, symbolizes the Roman legion and the empire itself. The figure of the legionary in girdle-band armor carved on the reliefs of Trajan's Column became the image that comes to mind at the words Roman soldier. This, however, somewhat simplifies the reality: the Roman army wore mail and scale armor no less in the same period, and auxiliary soldiers generally wore mail; the segmentata was never the armor of every Roman soldier. That even the name segmentata was coined in the Renaissance shows how the image we hold of Roman armor came to be made.

In Popular Culture

The lorica segmentata is never missing as the emblematic armor of the legionary in works about Rome. It is drawn as the standard garb of the Roman legionary in the film Gladiator, the drama Rome, and strategy games such as Rome Total War. Its distinctive form of overlapping horizontal bands is used as a visual sign that tells at a glance this is the Roman army. In fiction, though, the segmentata is often put on every Roman soldier regardless of period and kind of troop, so the historical fact that mail was just as, or more, common is obscured.

Trivia

• The name lorica segmentata, segmented armor, is not ancient but a later coinage of the 16th century, and the name the Romans actually called this armor does not survive.
• The emblematic image of the legionary in segmentata comes largely from Trajan's Column (around 113 AD), but the real Roman army wore mail (lorica hamata) and scale (lorica squamata) no less, and auxiliaries generally wore mail, so the segmentata was never universal.
• Our knowledge of how this armor was built comes largely from archaeological finds, above all the Corbridge Hoard of Roman Britain, which preserved the fittings and bands well and made accurate reconstruction possible (the Corbridge type), while the earlier and later variants are called the Kalkriese and Newstead types.