Late Roman Shield Personalization

[Robert Vermaat]

NAMES OF SOLDIERS INSCRIBED ON THEIR SHIELDS
Lest the soldiers in the confusion of battle should be separated from their comrades, every cohort had its shields painted in a manner peculiar to itself. The name of each soldier was also written on his shield, together with the number of the cohort and century to which he belonged.

II.18. Nomina militum et gradus in scutis eorum aduersis scribenda
Sed ne milites aliquando in tumultu proelii a suis contubernalibus aberrarent, diuersis cohortibus diuersa in scutis signa pingebant, ut ipsi nominant, digmata, sicut etiam nunc moris est fieri. Praeterea in aduerso scuto uiuscuiusque militis litteris erat nomen adscriptum, addito et ex qua esset cohorte quaue centuria.

I'm only not sure if this practise as described by Vegetius should be taken as a real one, and indeed to when it would have been dated; the 3rd c., his own 4th c. or maybe much much early (from which period he drew some of his sources)?

My guess is that all the textual info would have been on the back of the shield.