Pausanias on Achaean armament, ca. 200 BCE

[PMBardunias]

I was rereading the account of Philopoemen's battle of mantinea. As if to be confusing, Polibios uses this phrase in describing the Achean arms before the battle- 11.9:

[5] hotan de tên aspida kai ton thôraka kai to kranos dialambanêi, periblepein hina tês chlamudos kai tou chitônos kathareiotera tauth' huparchêi kai polutelestera

Later we see him use the term but as what was a formulaic command 11.15:

[2] epei d' heôra toutous ekbiazomenous, ou ptoêtheis epheugen oud' athumêsas apestê ***, all' huposteilas hauton hupo to tês phalangos keras, hama tôi parapesein tous diôkontas kai genesthai ton topon erêmon, kath' hon ho kindunos ên, eutheôs tois prôtois telesi tôn phalangitôn ep' aspida klinôn, proêge meta dromou, têrôn tas taxeis.

We know that he is using "aspida" in the general sense, not the specific instance of the argive aspis, since he is referring to sarissaphoroi on both sides. for example:

[6] hoi de Lakedaimonioi chôris parangelmatos, eparthentes tais dianoiais epi tôi tôn euzônôn proterêmati, katabalontes tas sarisas hôrmêsan epi tous hupenantious.

and:

XVI. Ho de Philopoimên hama tôi parapesein kata tôn hupenantiôn ton ek pollôn chronôn heôramenon hup' autou kairon, tote pasin epagein tois phalangitais katabalousi tas sarisas parêngeile.