Manica question

[Steakslim]

I apoligize if this has been asked before but why do reenactors have the manica protecting only one side of the arm? when in roman art it shows the soldiers with the manica protecting the arm on all sides? can anyone tell me anything about that? BTW does anyone know what the name is for the segemented plates for the legs?

[Caballo]

Hi

Have a look here at this article what I wrote

http://www.romanarmy.net/manica.htm

The reason that it only covers the arm (in first century infantry) is that is the arm is exposed when you thrust the sword past the shield in the battle line.

Cheers

Caballo

[Steakslim]

I mean why not wrap around the whole arm?

[John Conyard]

Assuming you are thinking of cavalrymen in the late Empire I suspect the manica could wrap around the whole arm protecting you from thrusts from below. The unclear illustrations from the N.D. seem to show this.

I've been wearing a standard "half" manica as Caballo describes in his article for a year on horseback. Blows from other horsemen come from above and the manica protects well against that, as it would against missiles. When my arm is raised I would be funerable to blows from below.

Segmented thigh guards could also be worn. However I wear a pair of boiled leather lamellar guards based on those from Dura. Once again like my "half" manica they are designed to defend against blows from above, not below. They are very light and fit very well around the leg, in no way rubbing or abraising the leather saddle cover. They have good ventilation and go over the knee even protecting part of the shin.

[Matthew Amt]

As I understand it, some surviving manicae do wrap more than halfway around the arm. But since most legionaries wore nothing at all on the arms, even plates along one side are a major advantage.

Vale,

Matthew