Ancient Roman Armor

The Roman army was probably the most advanced army in its time. It was composed of an immensely complex structure and used the most advanced arms and armor. The blacksmiths and garrison engineers of the Roman army used very intricate and advanced principle and techniques for the manufacture of weapons. The primary armor of the personnel of the Roman army was always congruent. What varied was the helmet, according to the rank of the soldier and officer. The following are the three principle types of ancient Roman armor that evolved during the rise and fall of Rome.

Lorica segmentata

One of the biggest inventions of the blacksmiths of Rome was the torso armor that was known as the Lorica segmentata, which was a set or a kit of armor. The Lorica segmentata was basically assembled with the help of complex segments of iron or iron alloys. The assembled segments of the armor made it very effective protector. The armor basically covered the chest and the upper half of the abdomen and extended till the shoulders of the soldier. The Lorica segmentata basically was never a single piece armor. Like the chain mail armor, it was assembled together. A set of iron segments were put together to cover the collar bones and the shoulders. The chest and stomach was protected by the symmetrical assembly of segments put together. Thus the armor could be basically separated in four different sections that were, the right shoulder and the two identical sections that covered the torso. This assembly had several advantages. The basic advantage was that it could sustain any type of direct attack or missile attack. It meant that during a hand to hand combat, the enemy soldier would have to aim a blow either at the Roman soldier's legs or face. This would be extremely difficult because of the fact that the Roman soldier would be standing in a defensive and alert stance and would easily block off the attack aimed at the face or legs. The enemy archers would also have a tough time as they would have to aim at the neck of the Roman soldier to bring him down in one arrow. Another very big advantage of such type of armor was that it was flexible. The more flexible chain mail armor had not been developed at the time and thus the Roman army had the best and yet the most flexible armor. The flexibility of this armor facilitated fast, swift yet protected motion on the battle field. A marching army could pack up and fold the armor set into a compact pile and carry it. Since the armor was made using different segments of iron, it was light in weight and one could wear it quickly. The Lorica segmentata had only two drawbacks. Firstly the armor was very uncomfortable to wear due to its odd shape and secondly it was very expensive to manufacture.

Lorica hamata

The Lorica hamata was a type of chain mail armor that was manufactured for the Roman army in the times when the Roman republic was on its down fall and the Roman empire was emerging. The design of the chain mail armor was adopted from the design of armor that was used prominently by the Celts and other neighboring clans. The manufacture of chain mail armor was labor intensive as the blacksmith had to put together all the rings, one by one. The rings used were basically made from iron and related alloys. Sometimes bronze rings were also added and placed near the collar bones and armpits in order to put reinforce the iron armor. The Lorica hamata was preferred by the foot soldiers and infantry due to the added advantage of flexibility.

Lorica squamata

The Lorica squamata was a type of scale armor that was used by the Roman cavalry. The Roman cavalry armor was the heaviest of all the ancient roman armor designs. The manufacture of this type of armor was initiated during the period of the Roman republican regime. The armor was manufactured by sewing together the fragments of iron on a piece of thick fabric. The armor could thus be worn like a shirt. The only draw back of Lorica squamata was that it was very uncomfortable for a mounted rider.

The efficiency and excelling performance that was put in the manufacture of these types of armor was one of the genuine reasons for the undefeated campaigns that took place during the rise of Rome.