Roman infantry were mostly well armored with chainmail and sometimes

>>2476191
>It seems that the best a generic infantryman could get was a helmet and a gambeson/leather.

What are you basing this on?

>>2476216
Popular historical stereotypes

>>2476236
So basically nothing tangible?

>>2476191
>Medieval times
Be less vague.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7w-_QH607U

>>2476191

> so why was chainmail/metal chest armor so rare in the medieval times?

It wasn't.

Only in the very early medieval period was armor very rare, by the 11th century, basically every regular soldier had some mail armor on him.

In some areas, it was even enacted in law that every commoner above a certain income needs to be fully equipped on his own expense.

Hell, in the chronicle of Usama ibn Munqidh, a random crusader sergeant is described as being fully covered with double link mail(most expensive at the time) and basically impervious to attack.

>>2476246
I wrote it on a piece of copy paper, it's tangible now.

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>>2476191
English archers were legally required to own a brigandine, sword, and shield, along with the obvious bow&arrows in the Hundred Years War. Munitions plate was very common later on as well

the reason you see a lot of reenactors in just a helmet and gambeson is because it's a lot easier and cheaper to make than a full shirt of mail or cuirass

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>>2476191
It was only during the early medieval period where levies and lower class professional soldiers went to battle with just a shield and a helmet for armor.

Latter in the medieval ages, most had decent armor. Including the levies who were mostly urban militias who either bought their own armor or pooled resources alongside others to buy armor as per a lot of Medieval cities' civic requirements.

File: end_of_battle_by_karithmorana-d4zh5cu.jpg (195KB, 750x568px) Image search: [Google]

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>>2476191
What do you mean by Medieval times?
If you're referring to the post-Roman, Carolingian, and pre-1066 medieval world, then the society wasn't really developed enough for anyone to have anything else. It was considered a great thing to have chainmail at your disposal. Most warriors were just farmers that could really only afford a helmet and a shield and a few spears for throwing/stabbing. Having a sword was also a luxury, and most people fought with either the hatchets they used at home, or spears.

>>2477267
>the hatchets they used at home
m8 have you ever used a felling axe? They're not for fighting with. You'd get yourself killed.