01-18-2006, 03:41 AM
Hoplite's point about the skill of the craftsmen is cogent. Those upper arm guards, thigh guards and foot guards were made with what seems to us unbelievable craftsmanship. The Romans didn't even have the clip-on greaves. Apparently the craft had been lost. Those supplemental pieces of armor may have been just too clumsy, as made by smiths available at the time.
Pecunia non olet