As I said, I want to know how effective were these, and how well they protected body. I am mainly interested in their use for hips protection. I meant like here [ Linked Image ]
Or here https://www.pinterest.com/pin/456763587182803195/
How well they protected body compared to other solutions? Assume same material and quality.
Thanks for help in advance.

Well, it's a good question! And unfortunately there's no solid answer. They had to be worth the effort and weight, since they continued in use for hundreds of years, either attached to the original tube-and-yoke cuirass (whether leather or layered linen), or attached to a metallic cuirass. The Romans picked them up from the Greeks, and while we might theorize that those worn by Roman officers were simply a Hellenistic tradition and may have been more decorative than protective, we also seem them used by grunt legionaries at times.

So SOMEbody thought they were useful!

Matthew

So, Matthew... nobody has ever put on a cup, some pads, mounted a properly done up suit of armour, and taken a few shots for Science (TM)? ;) I honestly find that slightly difficult to believe... they've done it with plate and maille for some time now. Admittedly the Classical era is probably not one that gets a lot of practical testing, but still.