The Boiotian Shield

[PMBardunias]

About those saying that a Aspis is no good in individual combat, I disagree, a well trained man could probably make good use of it.

Anything can be used for individual combat, its a question of it being better than the alternatives available. My understanding, from the mechanics involved and from a relatively large sample of reenactors over that past half-decade I have been collecting anectdotes, is that the double grip aspis is inferior to a single/central grip shield of similar size for one on one combat. One fellow, he may even be on this site, went so far as to regularly hold the aspis by its porpax in order to weild it effectively against other scutum-type shields.

I think it is silly to say that the aspis was unsuitable for individual combat, for surely it was used in this way often once one formation gave way- when the teachings of hoplomachoi became useful. Better to consider it a compromise between value within a phalanx and single use. Just as stupid is trying to make it a great shield for individual combat by coming up with truly hairbrained ideas about hoplites standing in contrived postures seen on vases with shoulders perpendicular to hips that are a stylized feature of not only greek art, but egyptian and near eastern as well. One author, might have been Van Wees, went so far as to describe the hoplite as standing like a fencer- perhaps forgetting that a fencer led with his weapon hand not his off hand. Stabbing over your own head is none to powerful and moving the body, as one must, into a more natural 3/4 stance to strike negates all the conjectured benefits of the "fencing" stance.