Body armor of the principes (heavy infantry), hastati (front-line soldiers), and triarii (veterans) consisted of only a 20cm square breastplate, called a heart guard (pectorale), and one greave. The one greave was worn on the left leg, the leg that was exposed during battle.

How heavy was a Roman soldiers armor? The Loreca hamata (chain armour) weighs about 10 to 11 kilos. A Loreca segmentata (plate armour) is about 7 kilos. What was the Roman breastplate made of?

The lorica hamata was a sleeveless shirt of chainmail made up of up to 30.000 iron (sometimes bronze) rings that weighed up to 22 lbs (10 kg). It had a U-shaped neckline, a second layer of chainmail over the shoulders, wasn`t fitted and covered the torso and the upper half of the thigh.

The thickness of the metal plates and the type of metal used (iron or steel) had a big impact upon the overall weight, but a typical lorica segmentata would have weighed between 20-30 lbs (9-13.5 kg). Why was it called the Lorica Segmentata... or was it?

The lorica segmentata (Latin pronunciation: [ɫoːˈriːka]), also called lorica lamminata, or banded armour is a type of personal armour that was used by soldiers of the Roman army, consisting of metal strips fashioned into circular bands, fastened to internal leather straps.