Scutum designs from late Republican to early(ish) Imperial!

[Tarbicus]

And on that topic, in a conversation with another Roman reenactor, I said that I believed the "vertical snail shell", or as he called it "Back to back unicorn horns" were a painted representation of the wooden spines that were common on older Republican Roman shields, having borrowed that idea from a typical Celtish pattern. What say you?

Thunderbolts, as wielded by Jupiter, along with his lightning bolts that can also be seen on scuta. Note the eagle (symbol of Jupiter) also holds them and lightning bolts. Absolutely 100% convinced of it.