Museum Explorer
Warfare in
Roman Britain
Armour fittings
From: the Roman fort site at Hod Hill, Dorset
Date: 1st century AD
These are fastenings for Roman body armour, worn to protect the chest and shoulders. The parts you can see are made from bronze. The rest of the armour, which has corroded away, was made from strips of iron.
The bronze hinges and buckles we can see in the picture held the strips of iron together. Short leather cords were used to tie the hinges and buckles together and the round studs also helped secure the sections. Body armour like this was strong and flexible.
