Copper, copper alloy, strap fitting, lorica segmentata hinged strap fitting

Hinged lobate strap fitting of copper alloy from Roman plate armour, 'lorica segmentata'. The fixed element is made of single thickness sheet and has two large, flat-headed rivets which are coppery in colour and set close together near the end. The intermediate free element, also of single thickness sheet, has no rivet holes. The free lobate section has two rivet holes and is of double thickness sheet. Small washers remain at either end of the two spindles. The free elements are folded back over on the fixed element. It is not clear why this double-hinged fitting should have been thought necessary, but it could have been intended for use with a piece of leather shorter than normal with the usual hinged strap fittings.

This piece is certainly unusual amongst 'lorica segmentata' fittings, but is paralleled by an example from Vindonissa in Vindonissa Museum, which has only one rivet hole in its fixed element and is larger overall in both length and breadth. The existence of a near identical fitting to the London piece would seem to argue against this being a one-off experiment and in favour of its being characteristic of a particular armourer.