in a general sense, is the same with what we otherwise call armour.

ARMATURA is more particularly used in the ancient military art, for a kind of exercise, performed with missile weapons, as darts, spears, arrows, and the like. In this sense, armatura stands contradistinguished from palaria; the latter being the exercise of the heavy-armed, the former of the light-armed.

The armatura was practised with great diligence among the Romans; they had their campiductores, on purpose to instruct the tyrones or young soldiers in it. Under it were included the throwing of the spear or javelin, shooting with bows and arrows, &c.

ARMATURA is also an appellation given to the soldiers who were light armed.

ARMATURA is also a denomination given to the soldiers in the emperor's retinue. Of these we find two schools, mentioned in the Notitia Imperii, called the armaturae seniores and armaturae juniores. Their commander was entitled tribunus armaturarum.