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Does anyone know if there is a market for short fiction about hoplites and ancient warfare in general? I'm writing such a story largely for myself which I'll probably just post on my blog, but I wondered if anyone has seen these published anywhere. I know I'd like to read them if they existed. Maybe AW needs a new feature category (and a centerfold  ).
Paul M. Bardunias
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A Spartan, being asked a question, answered "No." And when the questioner said, "You lie," the Spartan said, "You see, then, that it is stupid of you to ask questions to which you already know the answer!"
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There are a number of Christian's at http://www.hippeis.com
Have fun!
Cole
Cole
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Paul, there's a UK project for UK, US and Canadian vets from iraq and Afghanistan--Steve Saylor's part of it, and so am I. We're all supposed to write a sword and sandals story for a collection, and all the money goes to the vets. Sounds fine to me--I'll send your name to the editor if you like.
Qui plus fait, miex vault.
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Christian that would be great. I'd love to help out the vets and be in such august company. By the way, I just found an old archeological report from excavations at Sparta. They did not label them as such, but some of these bronze fragments surely seem to me to be pieces of an aspis, while the others show early hoplites. I know you are collecting them.
Paul M. Bardunias
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A Spartan, being asked a question, answered "No." And when the questioner said, "You lie," the Spartan said, "You see, then, that it is stupid of you to ask questions to which you already know the answer!"
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Hey,thanks for those Paul! They're great! And certainly some of them belong to shields. It is interesting how this identical wave pattern is repeated on shield rims. And Paul M. will be happy to notice that some of the spartan shields have the triangle pattern on the rims that he imagined long ago for his Spartan model.
Khairete
Giannis
Giannis K. Hoplite
a.k.a.:Giannis Kadoglou
a.k.a.:Thorax
![[Image: -side-1.gif]](http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o118/kadoglou_gr/-side-1.gif)
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Nice Heron shield emblem, too...
and I find the shield sizes on the figures rather interesting. I'm assembling an image library of early shields.
Qui plus fait, miex vault.
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Quote:and I find the shield sizes on the figures rather interesting. I'm assembling an image library of early shields.
You're right, I didn't notice that some are real small. I have always assumed that the central omphalos or boss we see on such relief images is artistic decoration, but as we go earlier they could represent single-gripped, central-bossed, shields.
Paul M. Bardunias
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A Spartan, being asked a question, answered "No." And when the questioner said, "You lie," the Spartan said, "You see, then, that it is stupid of you to ask questions to which you already know the answer!"
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And at the risk of wild speculation, the central boss might have held out for a few years even when there's a porpax behind it.
I've finished the research and design phase on my Boeotian and when I have it build, I'll try and use it to convince you guys that it is an essential step to the development of the aspis--basically because the Boeotian requires a porpax, which I think as then back-fitted to the round shield (and the oval--there's a surprising number of oval shields int he 6th C. BCE).
Got a good e-mail from the Help for Heroes folks today, and I assume he's in contact with you. tell me if he isn't.
We should get Paul M-S too, as he wrote a really nice piece to go with a print a while back.
Qui plus fait, miex vault.
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Quote:at the risk of wild speculation, the central boss might have held out for a few years even when there's a porpax behind it.
I agree that this is likely, since you have something of a chicken and egg situation. My guess is that the first porpaxes were nothing more than leather straps and perhaps there was a stage where shields could be held either at the center or hung from the arm. The shields on the warrior vase appear to be single grip. When we look at convex near eastern shields that have bosses, they seem to be single grip as well. It would be nice to know more about what was going on in western Anatolia at this time. The there are the bizarre triple-gripped Urartian shields (I am almost ready to proclaim them inverted pans for cooking lavash, they are so weird). There are some single gripped, unbossed shields in the region though, the oblong Thracian peltae, and that begs for more study.
Quote:I've finished the research and design phase on my Boeotian and when I have it build, I'll try and use it to convince you guys that it is an essential step to the development of the aspis--basically because the Boeotian requires a porpax, which I think as then back-fitted to the round shield (and the oval--there's a surprising number of oval shields int he 6th C. BCE).
Why does it require a porpax? Wouldn't be just a Dipylon without one? That famous aspis from Pylos is somewhat ovoid- 0.83 by 0.95 m- so there is no problem with slightly ovoid argive aspises or boetoan shields if they existed. Have you ever seen the arguement that boetians/dipylons were designed to be folded? I came across that once in a discussion on the warrior vase shields- the argeuement being that they are folded in half and not moon shaped. I don't buy it, but it would make sense of my biggest objection to the boetian; that in cutting the rim, into two halves that are almost touching anyway, they greatly weaken the shields.
Quote:Got a good e-mail from the Help for Heroes folks today, and I assume he's in contact with you. tell me if he isn't.
Thanks, he sent me the same email he cc'd to you and I responded today.
Quote:We should get Paul M-S too, as he wrote a really nice piece to go with a print a while back.
I'll pester him to see if he's interested. It would be great to all be in it together- synaspismos so to say.
Paul M. Bardunias
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A Spartan, being asked a question, answered "No." And when the questioner said, "You lie," the Spartan said, "You see, then, that it is stupid of you to ask questions to which you already know the answer!"
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Pester away, guys, and welcome !  D ...........e-mail me !
Giannis wrote:
Quote:And Paul M. will be happy to notice that some of the spartan shields have the triangle pattern on the rims that he imagined long ago for his Spartan model.
....not "imagined", Giannis....careful research !!! :wink: :wink: :wink:
"dulce et decorum est pro patria mori " - Horace
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff
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About 100 early shield devices from Olympia are documented in the Olympische Forschungen series:
Philipp, Hanna
Archaische Silhouettenbleche und Schildzeichen in Olympia
Mit Beitr. v. Born, Hermann
2004. 28 x 21 cm. XIV, 442 pages. 120 Taf. 2 Beil. Hardcover. Euro [D] 128.00 / for USA, Canada, Mexico US$ 179.00. *
ISBN 978-3-11-017865-4 Series: Olympische Forschungen 30
Peter Raftos
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Quote:....not "imagined", Giannis....careful research !!! :wink: :wink: :wink:
Sorry if i'm wrong Paul,but i thought you once said you actually didn't have good evidence for the riangles on rims for your Spartan back then when you designed it.
Giannis K. Hoplite
a.k.a.:Giannis Kadoglou
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That would be correct, Giannis, because the 'triangles' on the rim are from a much earlier period, not the late 5C BC....
"dulce et decorum est pro patria mori " - Horace
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff
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