Greek Shield types from Bronze to Hellenistic Age

[hoplite14gr]

Article by D. Nikolacopoulos - reconstructor of the Greek War Museum
http://www.koryvantes.org/koryvantes/sho...jsp?key=10
Enjoy!

[PMBardunias]

Does he list sources for these shields somewhere? Looking at his 'Aetolian", I'd be hesitant to label any shield with a robust, domed central boss as a double-grip shield rather than single central grip. This statement: "Externally it had several marks and usually a metal hub that helped at the stage of repulsion (othismos) to break up the unity of the opposing faction." is unlikely.

The "Iphicratid" is fanciful, for we have no idea what that shield looked like. I do like the crossed straps in place of a porpax. Some peltae clearly show parallel straps pulled together and held in one hand. I have experimented with this set up and if the length is right, you can hold it together for a single handed grip, or slide your forearm through for a porpax-like effect. This may explain the images of Thracian peltasts on vases that show two "porpaxes" and an antilabe.

[Dan Howard]

Neither of the first two shields are ever mentioned by Homer. All of the shields described by Homer are circular. The tower and figure-8 shields are a couple of centuries earlier than the alleged date of the Trojan War. The next three are better contenders for Homeric shields. In addition, Homer uses the terms sakkos, aspis, and rhinos indiscriminantly - not to refer to different types of shield. More likely he just picked the word that best fit the meter of the poem. And before anyone tries the argument that Homer describes Aias' shield as tower shaped, no he doesn't. It takes a deliberate misinterpretation of the text to come up with that translation.

He also missed out on the earliest Mycenaean shield which was rectangular in shape as depicted on Akrotiri fresco.

[MeinPanzer]

Most of these reconstructions are fanciful, and do not seem to have been based on any hard evidence. I can't comment too much on the earlier shields - though as Paul and Dan have noted, they seem questionable - but most of his 4th c. BC and later reconstructions are incorrect. We barely know anything about Cretan shields during the 4th c. BC other than that they could have a bronze facing. In the Hellenistic period, the Cretan archers we do see carrying shields carry small oval ones. Almost all the detail he provides on construction is pure fantasy.

Also, "The Macedonian shield of the era after Alexander the Great was metallic ... with ... no lettering"? Macedonian shields are some of the only shields from the Greek world which show abundant signs of being decorated with lettering! As for the "Iphicratid," depending on how you interpret Diodorus it could be either round or oval. Also, his information on the thyreos is mostly correct, but then he goes and illustrates it with a hexagonal and rectangular shield - two types which only really came into use after the Hellenistic period.

[Ghostmojo]

... his information on the thyreos is mostly correct, but then he goes and illustrates it with a hexagonal and rectangular shield - two types which only really came into use after the Hellenistic period.

I did wonder about those myself. I don't think I have EVER seen any Greek or Hellenistic shields shown in such obvious later Roman form.

[MeinPanzer]

I did wonder about those myself. I don't think I have EVER seen any Greek or Hellenistic shields shown in such obvious later Roman form.

Out of the hundreds of representations of thyreoi from the Hellenistic period, there are maybe three or four which are rectangular or hexagonal examples, and some of those may even not be Hellenistic (such as the stele from Abdera of a Thracian cavalryman carrying a rectangular thyreos who is sometimes said to be a late Hellenistic cavalryman, but who is very likely a Roman auxiliary cavalryman).

[DR_Reham]

please i want a new link for download this Article

http://www.koryvantes.org/koryvantes/sho...jsp?key=10