Historic Scutum experience

[caiusbeerquitius]

http://larp.com/legioxx/scutum.html wrote:
According to Holger Ratsdorf of HReplikate, the Dura Europas shields and others were painted with casein, a milk derivative.

This is from Matt Amt's site.

This is wrong, actually. The Dura shields are painted in encaustic. Some mummy portraits from Egypt are in tempera, but most of them encaustic. Oil is also possible, I think. Casein paint seems to have been used in northern and western Europe mainly, evidence is there from the bog finds (Illerup) and in celtic context (?).