Roman Cavalry Officer, Punic Wars?

[philsidnell]

Yes, you see from the coin in the link above that the shield is actually quite large with a central spine, not the smaller earlier type with a circular boss (described by Polybius as like the round cakes with a boss in the middle used at sacrifices - representations of such cakes or loaves have been found, indirectly giving us the shape of the shield). The problem is that the relevant passage in Polybius, where he describes the Roman cavalry adopting Greek style shields and spears, comes as a digression in his coverage of the Second Punic War, but it is unclear whether he is saying the change was made before the Punic Wars, during it, or after. He contrasts 'earlier times' with 'now' and he was of course writing some decades after the close of the 2PW.

Phil Sidnell