240
The second type of lorica, Lorica Plumata (feathered armor; ribbed scale armor)
was a hybrid mail covered in very small scales. It was used by offi cers as well as
tribunes and above, but typically generals due to the high cost of production and
maintenance (see for review Price 1983 ; Goldsworthy 1996 ). The plumata armor
had scales about 7 mm wide by 10 mm tall. The normal armor’s scales were two or
three times larger than this. They could be squared off at the bottom, pointed or
rounded. They could be made of brass sheet, iron sheet or a mixture of the two,
sometimes so as to make a pattern of the scales, sometimes just as a repair using
what came to hand ( Fig. 5.4 ).
The third type of military lorica is the Lorica Segmentata . This replaced the older
lorica hamata (mail shirt). Lorica segmentata (Fig. 5.5 ) is a type of Roman ferrous
plate armour articulated on leather straps. It was fi rst used at the end of the fi rst
century BC, and continued in service with the Roman army until the middle of the
Fig. 5.4 Fragments of lorica
plumata (Image courtesy of
Andrew Iingard)
Fig. 5.5 Front view of the
commander’s “updated”
Newstead Lorica Segmentata
assembled by Joe Piela of
Lonely Mountain Forge. This
version is based on the plans
of M.C. Bishop in his JRMES
monograph no. 1 “Lorica
Segmentata vol 1 ( 2002 )
( http://www.legionxxiv.org/
newsteadenlrg/ )
5 Materials Design Principles of Fish Scales and Armor
The second type of lorica, Lorica Plumata (feathered armor; ribbed scale armor)
was a hybrid mail covered in very small scales. It was used by offi cers as well as
tribunes and above, but typically generals due to the high cost of production and
maintenance (see for review Price 1983 ; Goldsworthy 1996 ). The plumata armor
had scales about 7 mm wide by 10 mm tall. The normal armor’s scales were two or
three times larger than this. They could be squared off at the bottom, pointed or
rounded. They could be made of brass sheet, iron sheet or a mixture of the two,
sometimes so as to make a pattern of the scales, sometimes just as a repair using
what came to hand ( Fig. 5.4 ).
The third type of military lorica is the Lorica Segmentata . This replaced the older
lorica hamata (mail shirt). Lorica segmentata (Fig. 5.5 ) is a type of Roman ferrous
plate armour articulated on leather straps. It was fi rst used at the end of the fi rst
century BC, and continued in service with the Roman army until the middle of the
Fig. 5.4 Fragments of lorica
plumata (Image courtesy of
Andrew Iingard)
Fig. 5.5 Front view of the
commander’s “updated”
Newstead Lorica Segmentata
assembled by Joe Piela of
Lonely Mountain Forge. This
version is based on the plans
of M.C. Bishop in his JRMES
monograph no. 1 “Lorica
Segmentata vol 1 ( 2002 )
( http://www.legionxxiv.org/
newsteadenlrg/ )
5 Materials Design Principles of Fish Scales and Armor