This book assesses current views of the body armour used by the Roman
army and its development, melding these with the archaeological evidence
available. It draws together the streams of published information of sculptural
imagery and archaeological ‘hard’ evidence, while also looking at the component
parts and how they are physically put together. This has involved a return to
basics, in examining wherever possible the original material (as opposed to the
published 2-D photographic images and line drawings) and attempting to reproduce
the aspects of the artefacts observed through physical reconstruction.
The reconstructions produced were then subjected to low-level,
simulated wear, over several years, to view component inter-action, and
simulated combat/ destructive testing using a range of weaponry, including
archery equipment, to view which parts were more susceptible to damage, and what
features may be anticipated archaeologically on artefacts as evidence of regular
wear, combat damage and field repairs.
Discrepancies were also noted between current reconstructions of
Roman military equipment (by museums and re-enactors), which have been produced
based on previous desk-based assessments, and the reality of the actual
artefacts, particularly in the case of the segmented plate armour (lorica
segmentata), which may cause us to re-think not only the appearance, but also
the function/fighting methods of the Roman soldier.
