The cataphract is a kind of scaly broigne, invented and worn by nomadic Iranian-speaking peoples of the steppes located near the Black Sea. They are at least as old as the Scythians.
It equips the heavy cavalry of the Sarmatians or the Alans, made up of cataphracts. The Clibanari are cataphracts protecting their horses with broignes identical to their armor.
They are at the origin of the linothoraxes reinforced with bronze scales, and therefore, indirectly, of the Lorica squamata.
Building
The cataphracts are made of horn scales (Pausanias described in 175 how the Sarmatians cut mare's hooves out of scales), bronze, iron or even leather. The scales are laced together and fixed on a garment (broigne). Some Dura Europos bas-reliefs show models with ventral plates laced together and replacing the scales. Such models would give more of a scale armor than a broigne. Such arrangements, however, seem less common. However, a real scale cuirass ends up being created. They were used in conjunction with ring mail by the Byzantines and later the Turks, Persians and Arabs.
Cataphracts could cover the arms and be supplemented with leg protection. There were several types of protections for members.
* Sleeves (of pants or jacket) covered with scales. They could pose problems of flexibility.
* Scale-covered extensions covering the front of the legs and the tops of the arms. It was the simplest and most used method.
* Segments of plates fitted into each other. Much rarer, this model was little used. Identical models were used by gladiators in the arenas of Rome.