Blog

All troopers wore a helmet of steel and brass (300074) plus body armor, either a lorica segmentata (300176), made of steel lames or a lorica hamata, made of steel mail with shoulder doublings. As for the undergarments, very few articles were worn. There are examples of a loincloth or loose short being worn underneath and of course a long tunic (100042) overtop. During festivals and stately occasions a Roman would not be without his robes or toga...

Mail in this type of combat was very useful, but it was not long before pieces of plate armor began to be added at the elbows and knees and then to other areas of the body. This evolution spawned another and the arms race was on! One popular adaption was the increasing use of impact weapons like hammers, axes, maces, flails and clubs. Through the inventive change in circumventing the better armor of the day (300100), the sword still remain...

The image of the medieval fighter that springs to mind is of a man covered from head to toe in mail armour and with a close helm with a nasal extension. This image is mainly correct; as far as a knight was concerned, they were indeed covered total with mail. The reason for this is because the whole body was a fair target, from head to toe, if there was an opening, they would make the blow. The mail was important (300170), but just as...