Lorica hamata
Lorica Hamata (Latin: Lorica Hamata, "armor with hooks", from Latin hamus - "hook") - was a type of chainmail armor used in ancient Rome. It was one of the most popular types of armor in the Roman army and was in service for the longest time - over six centuries.
Lorica Hamata was primarily made from iron or bronze alloys. The rings were not simply joined together: rows of flat closed rings were interwoven with rows of riveted rings. This allowed for the creation of armor with good operational properties - sufficiently strong and flexible. The rings had an inner diameter of 5 mm and an outer diameter of 7 mm. The diameter of the wire from which the rings were made was about 1.7 mm. Several thousand rings were used to create one such armor!
Additional chainmail overlays, attached to brass hooks, could also protect the warrior's shoulders. They remotely resembled greek linothoraxes, which were also fastened at the front and back with bronze or iron hooks. The Lorica Hamata could reach mid-thigh in length, and its weight was 10-12 kg. For convenience and improved protective properties, a subarmalis was worn under the hamata. The main advantages of the Lorica Hamata over the Lorica Segmentata were greater comfort of wear and greater mobility of the legionary in armor, however, its protective qualities were not as good.
Fragment of Roman lorica hamata from the Saalburg Museum, Germany, first century AD; mail fragments show the military layer of the site's finds.
Hooks from Lorica Hamata (6,2 - 7 - 6,3 see). Courtesy Vindonissa Museum-Brugg-CH. 1-2 century ADHistory
Early mail finds are associated, among other contexts, with the La Tène world. Its precise place of invention and the possibility of independent developments remain debated. Romans used mail in the Republican period and continued to do so alongside other armour.
Borrowing a particular technology does not establish one civilisation’s superiority in every respect. The spread of mail should be studied through dated objects and images.
Chain mail from the burial of a Celtic chieftain in Ciumesti,Romania. Mid-3rd century BC
Celtic shields and chain mail are depicted in a bas-relief from Pergamon,2-1 century BC.
Statue of the Gallic warrior "Guerrier de Vacheres" in Hamat with clasps. Calvert - Avignon-F Museum. 1st century BCMail was not confined to ordinary soldiers: it appears on centurions and standard-bearers. Shoulder reinforcements, length and decoration varied. One depiction or later reconstruction cannot establish a compulsory kit for every officer.
Legionnaire in hamat. Tombstone of legionnaire Gaius Valerius Crispus,who served in the VIII Augustan Legion. Wiesbaden. First half of the first century AD
Centurion,according to one version in Lorica hamata. Tombstone of Marcus Favonius Facilis of the XX (Valeria Victrix) Valerian Victorious Legion. Colchester. Colchester and Essex Museum. 1st century AD (43-50 AD)
Legionnaire in hamat. Bas-relief from Adamklisi,early 2nd century ADIn the early Empire era, in addition to the Hamata, other types of armor began to be actively used - the lorica segmentata and the lorica squamata, which had better protective properties when receiving piercing blows. Also, the Hamata itself is divided into several subtypes: in addition to the classic Hamata, a shortened Lorica Hamata appears, reaching to the waist, without separate shoulder pads. Thanks to its flexibility and simplicity, it gained great popularity in the auxilia and roman cavalry. Thanks to the segment-ring structure, the armor damaged in battle could be restored simply with spare rings.
Sometimes the Romans "signed" their Lorica Hamatas, like other equipment. For example, on one of the hooks of the Hamata, found in Germany, the data about the legionary are written: M. Aii (cohort) I (first) > (century) Fab(ricii) e M. Aius (cohort) I (first) (century) Fabrici(i). Today this archaeological find is kept in the Kalkriese museum. In addition, the hooks were decorated with engraving and embossing, and their ends could be made in the form of snakes and other animals.
By the middle of the 3rd century AD, the Hamata again becomes the most mass armor in the Roman army. According to iconography, it had the style of a T-shaped shirt, and the sleeves could have a very different length, from the middle of the biceps to the wrist.
Hamat auxilarium without shoulder straps. Trajan's column. Early 2nd century AD
Cavalryman in hamata without shoulder straps. Trajan's column. Early 2nd century AD
Hamat auxilarium without shoulder straps. Trajan's column. Early 2nd century AD
Roman soldier in Hamata, relief of Ludovisi sarcophagus, mid-3rd century AD
Roman soldier of the 3rd century AD, Schlossmuseum Linz
Protector of the Emperor Diocletian, Nicomedia, 4th century AD
Illustration from Vergilius Vaticanus, 4th century ADReenactment
Lorica Hamata was worn by legionarys, auxiliaries, centurions, standard-bearers, and cavalrymen. The armor was made of iron, but separate parts, for example, hooks, were cast from bronze alloys. The inner diameter of the chainmail ring was from 0.5 to 0.7 cm (0.6 cm is most common), the weaving of the Hamata itself was riveted-cut. Legionaries in the 1st century and at the beginning of the 2nd century AD additionally reinforced the protection of the shoulders, and by the beginning of the 2nd century, the legionary's Hamata might not have shoulders. Auxiliaries used Hamata without additional shoulder pads. From the 3rd century, the chainmail took the form of a T-shaped straight-cut shirt, without tapering and gussets, the length of the sleeves and the hem could vary greatly.
Legionnaire of the early 2nd century in Hamat,reconstruction
Hamat Auxilarium of the early 2nd century,reconstruction
Legionnaire of the IV century AD in Hamat, reconstruction.Related topics
Roman Finds
Several riveted hamata rings. Cortesia Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum - Mainz-D. 1st century AD
Fragment of lorica hamata with gilded rings. Courtesy Vindonissa Museum-Brugg-CH. 1-2 century AD
Fragment of Roman mail armour from the Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum, South Shields. 1st-2nd century AD.
Fragments of Lorica hamata. Zagreb Archaeological Museum. 1st century AD
Fragments of Lorica hamata. Zagreb Archaeological Museum. 1st century AD
Fragment of hamata from Aalen (Germany). Presumably it belonged to a cavalryman. Limesmuseum Aalen - Aalen-D. 1st century AD
Hook from lorica hamata. Cortez Museum (Kalkriese Lost and Found Park). 1st century AD
Hook from lorica hamata. Cortez Museum (Kalkriese Lost and Found Park). 1st century AD
Hooks from Lorica hamata. Cortez Museum (Kalkriese Lost and Found Park). Late 1st century BC-Early 1st century AD
Hooks from Lorica hamata.(4.5 cm and 5.1 cm). Karnuntinum Archaeological Museum. 1-2 century AD
Fragments of Lorik,Archäologische Staatssammlung,Munich. 3rd century AD
Hook from lorica hamata. Cortez Museum (Kalkriese Lost and Found Park). 1st century AD
Fragment of a hook from hamata. Bronze. 6.5 *1.1 cm,thickness-0.9 mm. 1st century AD (presumably 75 AD)
Fragment of a hook from hamata. Bronze. 6.5 *1.1 cm,thickness-0.9 mm. 1st century AD (presumably 75 AD)
Hook from hamata. Bronze. 6.5 *1.1 cm,thickness-0.9 mm. 1st century AD (presumably 75 AD)
Fragment of a hook from hamata. Bronze. 6.5 *1.1 cm,thickness-0.9 mm. 1st century AD (presumably 75 AD)
Hook from hamata. Bronze. 5.5 *1.0 cm 1-2 century AD
Hook from hamata. Bronze. 5.5 *1.0 cm. 1st century AD (presumably 75 AD)
Fragment of a hook from hamata. Bronze. 6.5 *1.1 cm,thickness-0.9 mm. 1st century AD (presumably 75 AD)
Hook from hamata. Bronze. 6.5 *1.1 cm,thickness-0.9 mm. 1st century AD (presumably 75 AD)
Hook from hamata. Bronze. 5.5 *1.0 cm 1-2 century AD
Hamata from the Landesmuseum Bonn, second half of the 3rd century AD
Hamata from the Roman fort of Arbaea, late 3rd century AD.
Roman chain mail, first half of the 2nd century AD, Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Etruscan sarcophagus from Volterra, 1st century BC Garnacci Museum.Celtic Finds
Celtic warriors in chain mail on a golden jug from Mogilan Tumul in Vratsa (Lovech region). 2-1 century BC
Celtic warrior in chain mail,depicted on the application of the treasure of Letnica. 2-1 century BC
Statue of the Gallic warrior "Guerrier de Vacheres" in Hamat with clasps. Calvert - Avignon-F Museum. 1st century BC
Bronze statuette of a warrior in lorik hamat. 4th-2nd century BC
Bronze jewelry for chain mail. Ciumesti,Romania. 2-1 century BC
Fragments of Celtic chain mail from northwestern Bulgaria: 1. Varbeschnitsa 2. Vratsa. 3-2 century BC
Celt in chain armor,1st century BC,reconstructionInterested in Ancient Rome beyond reading? Join Legio X Fretensis or explore our reenactment directions.
