Roman Mail and Scale Armour

Roman Mail and Scale Armour cover

Description

Fully illustrated, this study investigates the origins, evolution and use of the mail and scale armour worn by the soldiers and gladiators of Imperial Rome.

Less glamorous than the Roman Army's instantly recognizable plate armour but much more versatile, mail and scale armour were used by both legionaries and auxiliaries throughout Rome's history. Developed by the Celts and quickly adopted by the Romans, mail armour was easy to make and required little maintenance. Scale was a much older form of armour, originating in the Near East during the second millennium BC. As with mail, it was used by both auxiliaries and legionaries, but like plate armour, it was much more fragile than mail. Both types of armour were also used by gladiators (principally as arm defences).

New discoveries in both mail and scale, as well as in hybrid forms that mixed the two, mean that much more is now known about the development of these types of defence during the Roman period, their efficacy in battle and how they were manufactured and repaired. Featuring specially commissioned artwork and drawing upon the latest findings, this study lifts the veil on the mail and scale armour used by soldiers, gladiators and others during the heyday of Imperial Rome.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Mail Armour
Scale Armour
Lamellar Armour
Manufacture and Decoration
Mail and Scale Armour in Use
Bibliography
Index

Product details

Published Jul 18 2023
Format Paperback
Edition 1st
Extent 64
ISBN 9781472851703
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations 8 colour artwork plates; black & white and colour photographs and illustrations.
Dimensions 10 x 7 inches
Series Elite
Short code ELI 252
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

M.C. Bishop

Writer, publisher and archaeologist M.C. Bishop is…

Illustrator

Giuseppe Rava

Giuseppe Rava was born in Faenza in 1963, and took…

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