Roman Plate Armour

M.C. Bishop, Giuseppe Rava

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English

Osprey
14 February 2023

History; Ancient history: to c 500 CE; Special & elite forces; Militaria, arms & armour

Series: Elite

Fully illustrated, this book investigates the articulated plate armour worn by Roman legionaries.

First named by Renaissance historians studying the reliefs on Trajan’s Column, lorica segmentata evaded successful attempts to reconstruct it until a series of important archaeological finds in the 20th century revealed how it worked and the truth of its extended chronology. The earliest finds date from the late 1st century BC, and its discovery at Kalkriese in Germany shows how rapidly it was adopted. At the same time, discoveries in Spain and Britain showed that, despite its apparent fragility, it continued in use into the 4th century AD.

The spectacular find of six halves of cuirasses in a chest at Corbridge in 1964 has now been matched by the rare discovery of a complete set of this armour at Kalkriese. The Corbridge find provided the context to interpret and reconstruct earlier finds. There is now years of experience gleaned from reenactors over the practical strengths and weaknesses of this form of armour. At the same time, scientific analysis has provided insights into the technology behind this revolutionary form of armour so characteristic of the Roman Army. Featuring specially commissioned artwork and drawing upon the latest findings, this study lifts the veil on the formidable plate armour used by the legionaries of Imperial Rome.

By: M.C. Bishop
Illustrated by: Giuseppe Rava
Imprint: Osprey
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 248mm, Width: 184mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781472851871
ISBN 10: 1472851870
Series: Elite
Pages: 64
Publication Date: 14 February 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

M.C. Bishop is an authority on all aspects of Ancient Rome at war, with particular emphasis on arms and armour of the era. He has written, co-written or edited dozens of books and articles on the subject, including volumes on the gladius, pilum and spatha for the Osprey Weapon series and Roman Shields for Osprey Elite. Giuseppe Rava has established himself as a leading military history artist. He lives and works in Italy.