06-20-2009, 12:38 PM
I have no experience as a cavalryman however there is an interesting situation where I try to consider just how a Roman Cavalryman infact carried his Shield when NOT in battle, for I have a scabbard chape from a 1st century spatha which has a double Acanthus leaf design on it. However one side of the leaf design has completely worn away which tends to make me think that these soldiers may have carried their shield on a strap that was looped over one of the saddle horns, and just maybe the shield over time was rubbing against the sword and managed to wear away part of the chape design.
This is just a thought of mine for the design is on the outer surface of the chape and somthing has worn this pattern away, ineed even to the point where it's locateing rivet snapped and it fell off the scabbard for me to find some 2,000 years later.
As far as the hand grip of the shield I would think it would have been horizontal and no straps other than one loop at the hand grip to put over one of the saddle horns when not in use infact a rear one hence the wear on my scabbard chape.
This is just a thought of mine for the design is on the outer surface of the chape and somthing has worn this pattern away, ineed even to the point where it's locateing rivet snapped and it fell off the scabbard for me to find some 2,000 years later.
As far as the hand grip of the shield I would think it would have been horizontal and no straps other than one loop at the hand grip to put over one of the saddle horns when not in use infact a rear one hence the wear on my scabbard chape.
Brian Stobbs
