military belt), which could be drawntightly about the waist, thereby distributing part of the weight onto the hips and relieving theshoulders of part of their burden. Moreover, tests using contemporary arrow types by Masseysuggests that most arrowhead types consistently penetrated the mail to a depth that would provelethal to the wearer. However, bunching of the mail at suspension points prevented penetrationof the mail beyond a depth of 3-5 cm. "This [implies] that the doubling of mail shoulderdefenses known to be practiced by both Romans and Celts may have saved the life of theirowners. These observations are consistent with Plutarch's writings of the life of MarcusLicinius Crassus who in 53 B.C. engaged the Parthians with his army in the deserts ofMesopotamia at the Battle of Carrhae. Plutarch was not exaggerating when he spoke of arrows: ...which could pierce armor and pass through every kind of [defensive] covering, hard orsoft alike . . . or of . . . hands [pinned] to their shields, and their feet nailed through into theground, so that they [were capable] neither fly nor fight. The armor in question was probably mail as it was used extensively by legionnaires during thelate Republic until the introduction of the lorica segmentata in Claudian times. Massey's testingalso showed that arrow shafts were occasionally locked into place by the deformed mail ringsthrough which these had passed, which would have made them difficult to remove and thewounds considerably more difficult to treat. Mail also would not absorb the impact of a blow,unless extremely well padded by a very thick doublet, and the mail could also be driven into theflesh of the wearer. It is, perhaps, because of these disadvantages that after the introduction ofsegmental armor, mail was probably largely confined to the auxiliary troops. The form of cuirass for which the 1st century is best known is the lorica segmentata. Thename was not invented by the ...
