The triple-disc cuirass was a type of

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

cuirass A cuirass ( ; ; ) is a piece of armour that covers the torso, formed of one or more pieces of metal or other rigid material. The term probably originates from the original material, leather, from the Old French word and the Latin word . The us ...

used in

Southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

during the fifth and fourth centuries BC. It is named after the three discs, two on top and one on the bottom, which form a triangular plate of armor for the chest. The chest plate was connected to a back plate with shoulder- and side-plates. Modern scholars frequently call this armor a Samnite cuirass, but it is not clear that it was a symbol of their identity. It offered a greater amount of protection than the single-disc kardiophylax. According to an inventory by Horsnaes, the vast majority of triple-disc breastplates, at least thirteen, have been found at

Poseidonia Poseidonia (, named after Poseidon) is a village and a former municipality on the island of Syros, in the Cyclades, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Syros-Ermoupoli, of which it is a municipal unit. T ...

. Six of these have been dated to the period of 420–350 BC and one to the late fourth century BC. Burns gives a higher count of 38, of which only two have been found outside of Southern Italy: one at

Vulci Vulci or Volci ( Etruscan: ''Velch'' or ''Velx'', depending on the romanization used) was a rich Etruscan city in what is now northern Lazio, central Italy. As George Dennis wrote, "Vulci is a city whose very name... was scarcely remembered, ...

and the

Ksour Essef cuirass The Ksour Essef cuirass is an ancient triple-disc cuirass found in a Punic tomb in 1909 not far from Ksour Essef, Tunisia. This piece of armour, generally dated to the 3rd century BC, is of Italiote origin and comes from Southern Italy. Its d ...

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

. All of these were found in graves. Burns argues that the triple-disc cuirass was developed in the central Apennine region of Italy. The earliest examples have been recovered from the necropolis at

Alfedena Alfedena (, Abruzzese: ') is a ''comune'' in the province of L'Aquila of the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is located in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park in the upper Sangro valley, near the Monti della Meta mountain chain. H ...

in the

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, ; ; , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; ), historically also known as Abruzzi, is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy with an area of 10,763 square km (4,156 sq mi) and a population of 1.3 million. It is divided into four ...

and are dated to the second half of the fifth century BC. No examples of triple-disc cuirasses have been found in

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...

, but it is the most frequently depicted type of armor on

red-figure pottery Red-figure pottery () is a style of Pottery of ancient Greece, ancient Greek pottery in which the background of the pottery is painted black while the figures and details are left in the natural red or orange color of the clay. It developed in A ...

from that region, which implies its use there as well. The appearance of the triple-disc cuirass in tombs and other representative artifacts from Campania,

Lucania Lucania was a historical region of Southern Italy, corresponding to the modern-day region of Basilicata. It was the land of the Lucani, an Oscan people. It extended from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. It bordered with Samnium and ...

and

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

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