07-19-2011, 11:24 AM
Of course the definitive answer we will never know 
But we can speculate.
It is easier to obtain or - in field conditions - make a smaller sheet of metal than it is to obtain/make larger one. So armour constructed from smaller pieces has the advantage over armour constructed from larger ones.
In addition the shoulder guards are hinged in the area you would expect to be hit. In this case it is easier to replace a bent/damaged section - you don't have to replace the entire shoulder guard.
Of course there may be another reason - this is how the first segmentata was made, possibly without any reason or simply because the armourer had only steel leftovers to work with, and since it worked averyone else just copied it.
But we can speculate.It is easier to obtain or - in field conditions - make a smaller sheet of metal than it is to obtain/make larger one. So armour constructed from smaller pieces has the advantage over armour constructed from larger ones.
In addition the shoulder guards are hinged in the area you would expect to be hit. In this case it is easier to replace a bent/damaged section - you don't have to replace the entire shoulder guard.
Of course there may be another reason - this is how the first segmentata was made, possibly without any reason or simply because the armourer had only steel leftovers to work with, and since it worked averyone else just copied it.
