| The leathern corselet of the Roman legionary. It consisted of thongs (lora) of shoe-leather faced with metal. These were fastened one upon another in such a way that they formed a covering for the body with two shoulder-pieces. Below the latter a plate of iron 9 1/2, inches square, was placed over the region of the heart (see cut). Of the early citizen-soldiers, the more wealthy wore also costs of chainarmour (lorica hamata), and corselets of mail (lorica squamata), in which the joints were further covered with metal plates; the latter were also worn by the praetorians in imperial times. |
