Chainmail has a lot of great qualities, nobody argues against that. Especially so in the military where one would spend 99.9% of the time doing things other than fighting.
However, just take a look at a standard golf club. It's only a small blunt stainless steel rod. But I've been hit by one, in the face on a backswing. It hurts. A lot. Even with some kind of undergarment, blunt trauma should not be underestimated, especially in a time where small injuries could mean the difference between survival and death. A broken rib or simple cut could easily kill or permanently retire a soldier. You cannot call 250 years a "short lived fad", especially when the life expectancy was much lower than today.
Segmentata is the F-35 of antiquity. A definitive advancement in certain areas, although probably overly sophisticated, and expensive. There are even pilots who think our F-16s would outperform the F-35 in dogfighting, much as people who think hamata outperforms plate in mobility. These people did a lot of fighting, and they used this shit. They even used it to distinguish legionnaires from their counterparts even though not all in the legion would be equipped with it. An Air Force advert would probably have the F-35 on it, even though there are thousands more 16/18s in use. We wouldn't build the things if we didn't have a wanton disregard for money, much like the Principate Romans when they were collecting 200 tons of silver per year through tax.
Those who argue that the centurions preferred Hamata, I only have to say that there's a gap between personal wants and the wants of a commander. I'd want an air conditioner in my tank, although my commander would probably prefer to just add more armor, or a bigger gun, to make it a more effective. Commanders may have used other armours, but they wanted their soldiery with the best, although probably most uncomfortable, equipment available. Guessing but centurions could probably rely on the fact that other soldiers would put up heavy resistance, just to protect him. The average legionnaire did not have that luxury and had to rely on his armor much more than an officer would. Officer's in modern armies do not spearhead the charge, contrary to popular depiction, and are very well protected. Centurion equivalent officers do not typically wear 35lbs of ceramic body armor unless they are in a very dangerous unsecured area. You just cannot argue about effectiveness based on the gear differences between officers and troops, because you'll wind up with all sorts of false conclusions.
We should admire segmentata for what it is. Although probably not an ideal armor for any society that has limits on its economy, it was a fantastic invention for its time; a precursor to the next step in military technology ca. 1,100 years later. Dominate Empire's economy was a fraction of the Principate's. It's hard to argue otherwise.
However, just take a look at a standard golf club. It's only a small blunt stainless steel rod. But I've been hit by one, in the face on a backswing. It hurts. A lot. Even with some kind of undergarment, blunt trauma should not be underestimated, especially in a time where small injuries could mean the difference between survival and death. A broken rib or simple cut could easily kill or permanently retire a soldier. You cannot call 250 years a "short lived fad", especially when the life expectancy was much lower than today.
Segmentata is the F-35 of antiquity. A definitive advancement in certain areas, although probably overly sophisticated, and expensive. There are even pilots who think our F-16s would outperform the F-35 in dogfighting, much as people who think hamata outperforms plate in mobility. These people did a lot of fighting, and they used this shit. They even used it to distinguish legionnaires from their counterparts even though not all in the legion would be equipped with it. An Air Force advert would probably have the F-35 on it, even though there are thousands more 16/18s in use. We wouldn't build the things if we didn't have a wanton disregard for money, much like the Principate Romans when they were collecting 200 tons of silver per year through tax.
Those who argue that the centurions preferred Hamata, I only have to say that there's a gap between personal wants and the wants of a commander. I'd want an air conditioner in my tank, although my commander would probably prefer to just add more armor, or a bigger gun, to make it a more effective. Commanders may have used other armours, but they wanted their soldiery with the best, although probably most uncomfortable, equipment available. Guessing but centurions could probably rely on the fact that other soldiers would put up heavy resistance, just to protect him. The average legionnaire did not have that luxury and had to rely on his armor much more than an officer would. Officer's in modern armies do not spearhead the charge, contrary to popular depiction, and are very well protected. Centurion equivalent officers do not typically wear 35lbs of ceramic body armor unless they are in a very dangerous unsecured area. You just cannot argue about effectiveness based on the gear differences between officers and troops, because you'll wind up with all sorts of false conclusions.
We should admire segmentata for what it is. Although probably not an ideal armor for any society that has limits on its economy, it was a fantastic invention for its time; a precursor to the next step in military technology ca. 1,100 years later. Dominate Empire's economy was a fraction of the Principate's. It's hard to argue otherwise.
Christopher Vidrine, 30
