Lorica Segmentata - Roman Plate Armour

The best preserved Lorica Segmentata, Roman Plate Armour, resides at the Corbridge Roman Site Museum, Hadrian's Wall, Northumberland. It probably dates 122 AD to 138 AD. The Corbridge Roman Site was a key supply base along Hadrian's Wall.

The armor is made from overlapping iron plates, fastened with leather straps and bronze fittings, designed to distribute weight across the torso while allowing flexibility. A full set typically weighed around 10 kg, lighter than contemporary mail armors while providing strong protection against slashing attacks. This type of armor was used by Roman legionaries from the 1st to early 3rd Century AD, before gradually being replaced by other forms (lorica hamata). The Corbridge hoard was uncovered in 1964 inside a wooden chest, where corrosion had fused pieces together, preserving their arrangement and enabling one of the most accurate reconstructions of Roman armor ever achieved.