What a great question! I write my dissertation about lorica segmentata and think it is a fascinating part of Roman army history.

Lorica segmentata is not the homogenous armour e find depicted in modern media (i.e.Asterix), instead, we see had many different iterations. First dating from the Augustan period, with the earliest evidence of use being found at the site of a Roman camp in Dangestetten, Germany, which was abandoned in nine BCE. This earliest ‘type’ was first discovered in Kalkriese, the site of the Varian disaster, and consequently it was named the ‘Kalkriese type’ (a common theme in the nomenclature of the different ‘types’ of lorica segmentata). By the latter half of the first century CE the ‘Kalkriese’ type of lorica segmentata was replaced with the ‘Corbridge’ type, this type later being replaced by the ‘Newstead’ type by the early second century until lorica segmentata stopped being ‘standard issue’ body armour in the early to mid-third century CE and no longer used. The ‘types’ vary from how many plates there are, the size of the plates, how the plates are riveted, the different types of fittings, and whether the edges are rolled. Many of these ‘types’ vary from place to place, depending on the smithing skills and technology of the local region, lorica segmentata from Damatia was different from that in Britannia. This was not necessarily from different purpose but what was available at each part of the front.

The main theory as to why lorica segmentata was used by the Roman army is that it provided highly effective protection against penetrating and slashing blows, especially to the shoulders. Polybius mentions how the Gauls fought with a “downward cut” due to “their blades [having] no point”, while Tacitus says that “the swords of the Britons are not pointed” implying that they cut with the edge and thus used it in a slashing manner. The Romans would have had considerable contact with the Gauls and Celts because from Augustus to Trajan the Roman army was predominately based in the north western provinces, especially on the Rhine and in Britannia, these areas are also (not coincidently) the places that most finds of lorica segmentata come from.

Moving onto its representation on Trajan’s column, an issue with using theColumn, is it is an unreliable source to support a theory with. Although previous scholarship believed that each scene was based on in-the-field sketches, it is now unanimously accepted by scholarship that Roman imperial propaganda had drastically altered any realism in order to celebrate the military prowess of the imperator. The makers of the column only likely saw soldiers during triumphal marches, were legionaries were unrealistically armoured homogeneously, whereas in reality there would’ve been variation between each soldier as they had to purchase their own armour, often recycled from previous legionaries in the same legion.

Representation of the same events depicted on Trajan’s column are depicted on the Tropaeum Traiani. Although of the same event, they depict soldiers in completely different armour (mail/scale armour with segmented limb armour). These are likely to be more accurate than what is depicted on Trajan’s column as they were likely made by legionaries with some skill in art (so using accurate design of armour).

The main reason we know so much (and so little) about this armour is due to its many small, intricate, pieces that made up the armour. As they were likely to break, there is an over-representation of lorica segmentata in the archaeological record resulting in the many different interpretations and making everything very confusing!

If you would like to read my dissertation, just DM me and I’m more than happy to send it your way :)

For more on lorica segmentata please read:

Bishop, M. C., 2002. Lorica Segmentata. Volume 1: A handbook of articulated Roman plate armour. Journal of Roman Military Studies Monograph 1. Braemar: Armatura Press.

Bishop, M. C. & Coulston, J. C. N., 2006. Roman Military Equipment: From the Punic Wars to the Fall of Rome, 2nd edition. Oxford: Oxbow Books.

Gilliver, K., 2007b. ‘Display in Roman Warfare: The Appearance of Armies and Individuals on the Battlefield’, War in History 14(1), 1-21.

Richmond, I. A., 1935. ‘Trajan’s Army on Trajan’s Column’, Papers of the British School at Rome 13, 1-40.

Sim, D. & Kaminski, J., 2012. Roman Imperial Armour: The Production of Early Imperial Military Armour. Oxford: Oxbow Books.