10-05-2009, 06:14 AM
The idea that 'segmentata' armour was made of leather is an old myth that refuses to die !! It originated with early studies of Trajan's column ( 19C and before). No-one knew what the segmented armour worn by the legionaries on Trajan's Column was made of before modern archaeology.
On the base of the column is carved, life sized, a tropaeum of captured arms which includes Sarmatian armour of horizontal strips, though depicted as flexible in the torso, and significantly the front strips are fastened with buckle-and-straps, like a series of leather belts! (Tacitus famously tells us that some Sarmatian armour was made of "toughened leather" Hist.I.79)
What more logical than to assume that the similar 'strip' armour shown on the column above being worn by legionaries was also leather?
..........and thus a myth was born which exists to this day, despite archaeology demonstrating many years ago that this armour was iron.......
P.S. The sarmatian armour in question is just below the window to the right....
On the base of the column is carved, life sized, a tropaeum of captured arms which includes Sarmatian armour of horizontal strips, though depicted as flexible in the torso, and significantly the front strips are fastened with buckle-and-straps, like a series of leather belts! (Tacitus famously tells us that some Sarmatian armour was made of "toughened leather" Hist.I.79)
What more logical than to assume that the similar 'strip' armour shown on the column above being worn by legionaries was also leather?
..........and thus a myth was born which exists to this day, despite archaeology demonstrating many years ago that this armour was iron.......
P.S. The sarmatian armour in question is just below the window to the right....
"dulce et decorum est pro patria mori " - Horace
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff
