Greaves

By N.S. Gill, About.com Guide

Roman soldiers wore greaves as protective leg armor. The Latin term for bronze greaves is ocreae. Normally, the Roman legionary only required one greave in Julius Caesar's day, since his shield, the four-foot tall scutum, covered the other leg; thus, the right leg had the greave, although the Samnites wore the greave on the left (“sinistrum crus ocreā tectum,” Livy 9.40).

Livy (1.43.2) describes the way the first class of Roman soldiers was equipped early on in Roman history:

Required arms for these were a galea (helmet), a clipeum (shield), ocreae (greaves), lorica (cuirass), all from bronze, for bodily protection; and for weapons against the enemy, a hasta (spear) and a gladius (sword).

The second class was required to outfit itself similarly, although with a wooden instead of bronze shield, but the third class did not have to provide itself with the bronze greaves.