01-04-2009, 10:32 AM
Something that came to my mind to back up my hypothesis from above:
In Antiquity people were very aware of the different qualities of different kinds of wood. Since the shield´s core is of oak, it wouldn´t make much sense to have the grain of the planks running vertically. Oak is split very easily, this would result in a shield that is far easier split "in half". With the oak planks lying horizontal, the shield would profit from the long oak fibres against "splitting" cuts. Weird would be that the shield would have the outer facings running vertically though, but not impossible, as the Masada fragments suggest.
In Antiquity people were very aware of the different qualities of different kinds of wood. Since the shield´s core is of oak, it wouldn´t make much sense to have the grain of the planks running vertically. Oak is split very easily, this would result in a shield that is far easier split "in half". With the oak planks lying horizontal, the shield would profit from the long oak fibres against "splitting" cuts. Weird would be that the shield would have the outer facings running vertically though, but not impossible, as the Masada fragments suggest.
Christian K.
No reconstruendum => No reconstruction.
Ut desint vires, tamen est laudanda voluntas.
No reconstruendum => No reconstruction.
Ut desint vires, tamen est laudanda voluntas.
