12-17-2009, 05:06 PM
I've read the Masada report and have to say I'm doubtful those leather pieces are clearly anything but shield covers just like the European pieces- and it seems a pretty significant stretch for them to suggest the European ones might not be covers when they haven't even proven theirs aren't; the fragments of wood just mean they associated with wood when deposited- the fragments are so unsubstantial, it's not even clear they're from shields. There isn't any clear proof provided, like glue residue, the leather was attached to the wood- it's rather more likely they were simply covers on their shields it seems to me. And with respect to the European pieces, the presence of what sure seems a drawstring 'tunnel' at the edges of the more intact leather pieces, plus the integral umbo 'cover' really does make them covers not facings.
The lack of skin facings for shields in a European context isn't odd really at all- the only extant example of shield skin facing is the Dura scutum, and that has rawhide parchment and is extremely thin, which surely would have a hard time surviving in Europe. Moreover it's the only one of the shield artifacts from Dura that has skin- there are ones with just gesso, just fabric in glue, just fibres in glue and so on; so skin of some form isn't necessarily even a common facing for scuta. If they were deemed functional enough with just a 'casing' of some form, like glue-soaked linen, the outer skin facing certainly isn't vital. I've tested a section of authentically-made scutum board with just a linen in glue casing and it functioned beautifully vs. a sword slash. The Dura parchment is only on the order of 0.5mm thick (Simon James, personal comm.) so not likely to be of much structural use. I tried a bit and found no advantage to its presence. And even though there seems to be no proof of its use, I know tanned leather has been tested and found to be of no real use either. The truth is that the wood core with some form of case to help keep it together makes an outstanding shield all on its own.
Tim, I love that Victoria or Minerva piece you posted- of course it hardly suggests the Ram is not so clear, since the suggestion was never that it was the only proper one, but It's just wonderful to see something other than the usual tabula ansata for sure
The lack of skin facings for shields in a European context isn't odd really at all- the only extant example of shield skin facing is the Dura scutum, and that has rawhide parchment and is extremely thin, which surely would have a hard time surviving in Europe. Moreover it's the only one of the shield artifacts from Dura that has skin- there are ones with just gesso, just fabric in glue, just fibres in glue and so on; so skin of some form isn't necessarily even a common facing for scuta. If they were deemed functional enough with just a 'casing' of some form, like glue-soaked linen, the outer skin facing certainly isn't vital. I've tested a section of authentically-made scutum board with just a linen in glue casing and it functioned beautifully vs. a sword slash. The Dura parchment is only on the order of 0.5mm thick (Simon James, personal comm.) so not likely to be of much structural use. I tried a bit and found no advantage to its presence. And even though there seems to be no proof of its use, I know tanned leather has been tested and found to be of no real use either. The truth is that the wood core with some form of case to help keep it together makes an outstanding shield all on its own.
Tim, I love that Victoria or Minerva piece you posted- of course it hardly suggests the Ram is not so clear, since the suggestion was never that it was the only proper one, but It's just wonderful to see something other than the usual tabula ansata for sure
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