Why Roman Lorica Segmentata was Superior

The glory of Rome was brought about by the power and success of the Roman imperial army. Why was the legionnaires so effective on the battle field? There are a couple of reasons which will be briefly discussed below, but a big part of it was the body armor, lorica segmentata, that was worn by the soldiers.
First, the Roman army was one of the best, if not the best, trained armies in the ancient world. Hard drilling at the barracks and superiorly trained officers made the legions very disciplined and battle hardened. However, much of their success must be attributed to the equipment and armor that they took into battle. Roman boasted technologically advanced armor and weapons for their time. The Gladius short stabbing sword was excellent in close combat; the pilum was ingeniously created to be thrown and broken at the shaft once impact was made with the enemy; and the armor they wore gave the wearer superior protection.

Lorica Segmentata was superior and a marvel for a couple of reasons. First of all, this armor was characterized by overlapping individual plates of steel and iron. This gave the soldier superior movement and flexibility in the battle field. It also better was able to deflect enemy missile fire and sword cuts, as the plates sort of deflected the force of the blow down the side to other plates. It also left no open spaces as the plates overlapped covering the entire upper body. Not only was the shoulder plates overlapping, but the torso of the armor had overlapping plates as well. The fact that the entire armor could be compacted, stretched, and able to move with the wearer gave the legionnaires unprecedented movement when throwing their pilum or thrusting their swords.

Today's replica Roman armor are created to be as historically accurate as possible. Most are based off of the Type B Corbridge armor that was unearthed in Great Britain. When possible, choose a lorica that uses metal hooks for connection instead of leather straps, as these are much more sturdy and less likely to break.

John Hilde is a historical weapons and armor collector and owns his own online store selling authentic armor and weapons. Please visit http://www.armorvenue.com to learn more about roman armor