hamata - source

[Dan Howard]

The Latin word 'hama' certainly means 'hook'. I've always taken this to mean a reference to the double-S hook (sometimes of zoomorphic form) that was used to join the two shoulder lapets to the armour in the centre of the chest. However, in the earlier forms of 'celtic' armour (like the one shown on a carving from Pergamum in Turkey), this joining is by means of a copper alloy bar. Perhaps the term 'hamata' referes only to the Roman form of the armour?

The problem with this is that by the time of Jerome (405AD) that form of mail armour didn't exist.