01/31/2024
Roman Maille, known as Lorica Hamata (lorica: "body armour" - hamata: "hooked", referring to the riveted rings) is one of the most ubiquitous forms of armour found amongst both the Roman Legions and their Auxiliaries for centuries. Like many Roman "innovations", this form of armour was actually appropriated from another culture, in this case the Celts. With minor design tweaks followed by mass produced in an early form of cottage industry, Lorica Hamata could be seen donned by Legionnaires from Londinium to the Levant. This knitted metal skin would go on to be one of the longest lived forms of personal protection in human history, from its original inception amongst the Celts somewhere around the 5th century BC all the way up to facial protection for tankers in WW1. Even today, modern participants in sports like Buhurt (Heavy Knight Fighting) find maille to be a pragmatic and even necessary addition to portions of kit to protect otherwise exposed gaps in armour.
-Here is your chance to own a custom tailored piece of history! This version of our Lorica Hamata is a based on examples from the 1st Century AD found in modern Germany and is appropriate for a wide range of Roman period reenacting. Send us a message for sizing and price quotes today!