Thracian Lancers presentation uploaded

[MeinPanzer]

Ruben,

I was just looking at a clearer image of the above and there is no scallop on the lower edge, only at the top edge. This is interesting because a pelta is only scalloped at the top edge, though obviously much more deeply and round. The retention of a "scallop" in stylized form, it would be nice to know if this had any meaning to the thracians, may be evidence of an indigenous shield type as you say.

Clearer pictures of this shield type depicted on in the Kazanluk frescoes:
http://antiquemilitaryhistory.com/image ... hield1.JPG
http://antiquemilitaryhistory.com/image ... hield2.jpg

I'm not so sure I agree with you on either count. The shield of the man in the reddish-brown exomis certainly does seem to be scalloped at the bottom, but the man's standing opposite him does seem flat. With such a subtle detail I don't know how much must unfortunately be written off as artistic license or laziness in this case.

As for the similarity with the pelta, I don't know how you could find any similarity whatsoever between the form of the shields seen here and that of the standard crescent pelta other than the fact that if these shields were intended to only be scalloped at the top, they are both vertically asymmetrical. The disparity between a very slight scallop as seen here and the deep crescent shape of the classical pelta is about as great as you can find between shields in the Graeco-Roman world at this time.