Quote Originally Posted by oudysseos View Post
Armour with large segments was definitely not unique to the lorica segmentata, as the Dendra Panoply shows: this does not mean that the Romans didn't come up with it on their own. They didn't even know about the Dendra suit, as it has been dated to 15th century BCE.
I am not sure if the Dendra Panoply is a good example. AFAIK this is the only armour of this type ever to be found, and nobody knows what it was used for (too heavy to make good infantry armour, and an outright danger on a wobbly chariot).