Help reconstructing a 5th-6th C. scutum

[tlclark]

On the whole, I think that both dished and flat shields existed, based on the conditions under which they were constructed. In ideal circumstances, I think dished shields were made. But under stress, with lack of time and limited resources, I bet flat shields were made. They're less strong but so much faster to make.

That makes a great deal of sense. So that means the choice is up to me. From the perspective of a re-enactor, which would you recommend I try?

About round or oval, I think both forms occurred. Apart from the lack of real remains, the picture from artistic depictions is not 100% clear. If we can trust the artists to have made realistic representations, both oval as well as round can be seen. The Ravenna mosaics are a good example, Lepontius' gravestone another, the Valentinian dish a third. I look at the position of the feet and the markings on the shield to determine if we can look at tyhis as a 3/4 or a frontal view.

Yeah I agree. The Ravenna mosaics have an even edging/decorative band all the way around. A round shield in a 3/4 view would obscure the decorative bands or edging on the far side. I think you can see this clearly in some depictions. There is no way to tell however if the stilicho shield is round or oval.

The Via Maria shield is a definate oval, which is impossible to be taken for a 3/4 view due to the markings. that or the artist did a very bad job with perspective.

In general I agree, but as an art historian I have to add a qualifier to this last statement. "Bad" is a relative thing. The perspective of the column base of Antoninus Pius violates all kinds of rules of perspective, yet it was clearly done by an accomplished artist. It all depends on what they were trying to show. We can never know for sure, but in general the late styles are more concerned with content, rather than realism.

(DARN!)