Ancient Rome expended a great deal of economic resources and effort upon conquest and expansion through military means. The role of armor was fundamental in this expansion as itplayed a significant role in the success of the Roman armies on the battlefield. There were threecommon requirements for armor construction throughout its history: The first was that armorhad to be flexible enough to allow the wearer freedom of movement; second, it also had to belightweight enough to be worn without tiring the wearer while providing protection againstopponents' weapons; and third, armor had to be cost effective. These three aspects influencedthe evolution of Roman cuirass (lorica) design throughout Romes history. The central conceptin the study of Roman armor is that it was always a compromise between mobility, protection,and cost. There were at least four cuirass types in use during the first century A.D. These were themuscle, scale, mail, and segmented cuirasses with mail and segmented cuirasses being the mostpredominant. The study of these armor types relies upon three main sources of evidence:iconographic (e.g., sculpture, tombstones, monuments); archaeological; and literary sources. The evolution of Roman lorica was driven by the needs and circumstances of the RomanArmy. Armies of the 1st century A.D. were firmly established within the Empire and control fellsolely under the auspices of the Emperor. Increasingly the main strength of the Roman army, upto thirty legions, was garrisoned on the frontiers. Only a token military force, the PraetorianGuard, remained in Rome. The military situation in this period was seldom dormant. In the 1stcentury the invasion of Britain (A.D.43) necessitated the reorganization of legions andauxiliaries over much of north west Europe. Further reorganization occurred after the civil warof A.D.69, when the victoriou...
