@Jerwin, don’t forget lorica squamata! (but the segmentata is the canonical roman fashion statement).
You could not possibly be more correct! Bomb suits, with their impact plates and sandbags, would be even worse than fighting armor. I was impressed by the air conditioning.
There’s too much variation for this to be a valid general rule. The Norsemen, Samurai and I think the Persians all used armor made of thick, heavy iron bars at some points in their history - yet the Japanese and Persians also used armor made of super light tempered steel at other points.
Cuir Boilli (which is hide boiled in water, not in wax) is lighter and less hot than nearly all plate armor of equivalent coverage - once you count the sweat-soaked padded undergarments that are required by plate.
Again, you could not be more correct!
Also keep in mind that a lot of the stuff you see in movies is not leather armor per se, but some other form of armor (like a jack or gambeson) with a leather cover.
Huh, I either never heard of that one, or read and forgot about it. Thanks!
I have marched, run and fought for a couple of hours in lorica squamata, and worn lorica segmentata, and seen others fight in lorica hamata. It’s all pretty heavy, honestly. And [reproduction] Roman helmets are hella heavy, especially the middle period ones with the super thick iron piece at the browline…
Edit: added clarification, I have never worn real Roman armor or helmets, only repros.
