This Roman Lorica Squamata is a two part set of armor consisting of torso armor with an extra layer of additional shoulder protection. The hundreds of overlapping brass scales are stitched to a backing of thick cotton canvas; the armor is edged in stitched leather to give it a sturdy frame. This Lorica Squamata is highly adjustable to size with its brass side buckles and matching leather straps. The additional shoulder armor fits over the torso armor and is fastened in the front with its brass clasp and a set of adjustable brass buckles and leather straps in the back. The Lorica Squamata was often an armor type worn by military officers or specialists such as musicians or standard bearers when the Roman Empire was at its zenith – it may also have been a common armor used to outfit entire regiments of Auxilia infantry, archers and cavalrymen in some provinces. In the later years of the Empire scaled armor became a common defense for troops. Scaled Armor provided a good, solid defense for its wearer and was very difficult to cut into. The overlapping scales also gave the armor some absorptive properties when dealing with concussive force. The scales were typically .5 to .8 mm in thickness to keep the overall weight of the armor manageable.
