Measurements of lorica hamata.

[Magnus]

John's right...add a few years and you'll add bulk, add a few more and it'll be bulk around your gut like the rest of us lol.

[marvises]

John's right...add a few years and you'll add bulk, add a few more and it'll be bulk around your gut like the rest of us lol.

yeah i think im just going to build my own segmentata...... i have the .pdf file for it plus it will get my metal working skills up

[rusty myers]

Deepeeka does have a "large" lorica now, that fits up to a 52 chest. You have to ask for it special. The other fits about a 40-46 well, any other size requires reworking. You can almost expect to have to work on the girth loops for sizing to fit you, that should be expected, as they are cut big (long).

Sizing for us is either to measure mail you like stretched out fully side to side and top to bottom or you give us your current jacket and waist size, and we extrapolate it for you. Has worked well so far. Truthfully the new hamatas are so much lighter, that having them oversized a bit lets you move very well in them, so err on a little bigger.

Rusty

[marvises]

Deepeeka does have a "large" lorica now, that fits up to a 52 chest. You have to ask for it special. The other fits about a 40-46 well, any other size requires reworking. You can almost expect to have to work on the girth loops for sizing to fit you, that should be expected, as they are cut big (long).

Sizing for us is either to measure mail you like stretched out fully side to side and top to bottom or you give us your current jacket and waist size, and we extrapolate it for you. Has worked well so far. Truthfully the new hamatas are so much lighter, that having them oversized a bit lets you move very well in them, so err on a little bigger.

Rusty

with my body structure i think i will need a small segmentata b.c i wear Medium in mens shirts and i wear size 32 waist

[Aurelianus]

Patrik,
when I had my custom hamata done, by DSC, they suggested adding an extra 10 inches to my chest size. I took their advice and my hamata fits over my tunic and subarmalis very comfortably. My guess is you could go with 8 inches if weight is a concern, but I am not sure I would go much farther than that.

R/

Hi Mike

Thank you for your answer.
Do you mean with "chest" with or without the tunics and the subarmalis?

[arklore70]

Patrik,
I define chest size as with out a tunic and a subarmalis.

For example, I have a 44 inch chest with just a t-shirt on. My hamtae ( I have two) when stretched on the floor is 27 inches or about 54 inches in circumference, an extra ten inches from my chest size, which gives me plenty of room/space for a sub tunic, tunic and a subarmalis and plenty of room to spare for future horizontal growth during the holidays. This makes for an incredibly comfortable fit. I wore my hamata nearly from sun up till well after sun down the entire time at Lafe 9AD this year.

As Rusty Meyers said, if you are getting a custom fitted hamata, if you give the dealer like Soul of the Warrior or Armenatura you chest/jacket/coat size they can extrapolate the data to make sure you get the right sized hamata.

I read that by the early Empire lorica hamata seems to be higher, near waist level.

~Theo

(length: The chainmail should reach until about two hand with above the knees)

Is this hamata for a Republican impression ?

I read that by the early Empire lorica hamata seems to be higher, near waist level.

~Theo

Theo, there are a couple of folks that agree with you on that, to include the late H R. Robinson in his Armour of Imperial Rome Book in the hamata section of his book as well as Simpkins in The Roman Army From Caesar to Trajan.

They site the Arch of Orange, as well as the the Caius Castricus, Facilus, and Caelius steles. The Aelius Septimius,Q. Petelius Secundus, and R Lucillius also seem to indicate this, though they are a bit eroded, and the last three are in my opinion only.

R/

[Theodosius the Great]

Theo, there are a couple of folks that agree with you on that, to include the late H R. Robinson in his Armour of Imperial Rome Book in the hamata section of his book as well as Simpkins in The Roman Army From Caesar to Trajan.

We can add Graham Sumner to the list since he's my source (Roman Army, Wars of the Empire, page 49).
I was just reporting what I read, not implying that there's an either / or choice. Personally, I think both can co-exist depending on the time period - given the longevity of armor combined with the Pax Romana.

If money is an issue, one could choose a shorter shirt since there seems to be some supporting evidence.

They site the Arch of Orange, as well as the the Caius Castricus, Facilus, and Caelius steles. The Aelius Septimius,Q. Petelius Secundus, and R Lucillius also seem to indicate this, though they are a bit eroded, and the last three are in my opinion only.

The Arch of Orange rings a bell. I'll search for the steles you cited. Thanks

This makes for an incredibly comfortable fit. I wore my hamata nearly from sun up till well after sun down the entire time at Lafe 9AD this year.

Wow, impressive. Normally that would sound grueling based on personal experience.

~Theo

[arklore70]

We can add Graham Sumner to the list since he's my source (Roman Army, Wars of the Empire, page 49).
I was just reporting what I read, not implying that there's an either / or choice. Personally, I think both can co-exist depending on the time period - given the longevity of armor combined with the Pax Romana.

Theo, I completely agree that both co-existed and I had forgotten about Graham Sumner. Never throw away a good tool.

I own both DSC and Find It Hamatae and both are quite comfortable. Compared to Modern Body Armor such as the IBA, its a heck of a lot lighter and more comfortable. That said, the IBA is comfortable itself.

A couple of errors I see, that I think lends to discomfort with hamata and armor in general is the fitting and sizing of it along with the actual physical condition of the individual wearing it.

Two big observations over the past five years:

1. Armhole/armpit is not open enough and pinches the arms at the shoulders. Cutting one or two links at the bottom of the reverse apex of the armhole/armpit opening can make a huge difference.
2. Doubler not properly centered on the wearer's shoulders. I have seen a few doublers that are connected to the main body of the shirt well below the shoulder blades if not close to the waist. This has got to add stress to the lower back. With the assistance of another, it should be removed and reconnected so that it sits more squarely on the shoulders as depicted in art and steles.


R/