The lorica squamata (Latin pronunciation: [loːr̺iːka skʷaːmaːt̪a]) is a type of scale armour used by the ancient Roman military[1] during the Roman Republic and at later periods. It was made from small metal scales sewn to a fabric backing.[2][3] No examples of an entire lorica squamata have been found, but there have been several archaeological finds of fragments of such shirts and individual scales are quite common finds—even in non-military contexts.