Research on shield cover

[aelius colus strabo]

Hello

I make research for my group ( LEG VIII Augusta) on leather shield cover's and i try to find all the articles on this subject .
At his moment, i have articles on fragmentary cover shield of :

*Caerlon
Van Driel-Murray C, A fragmentary shield cover from Caerlon, p. 51-66. in Coulston J.C, Military equipement and the identity of roman soldiers. Proceedings of the Fourth Roman Military Equipement Conference. BAR S 394, Oxford, 1988.

* Vindonissa
Gansser- Burckhardt A. Das Leder und seine Verarbeitung im römischen Legionslager Vindonissa , Basel , 1942.

* Bonner Berg
van Driel-Murray 1983 : C. van Driel-Murray, M. Gechter, Funde aus der fabrica der Legio I Minerva am Bonner Berg. Rheinische Ausgrabungen 23. Beitr. z. Arch. des röm. Rheinlands IV, 1983, 83 p., 29 pl.

* woerden
Haalboos Jan K ( mit beitragen von carol van driel Murray und mechtild Neyses) .Ein römisches Getreideschiff in Woerden (NL),Jahrbuch des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums Mainz 43, 1997

But unfortunately several articles miss me

- Carol van Driel-Murray A Rectangular Shield Cover of the Coh. XV Voluntariorum C.R. p 45-54 , in JRMES 10, 1999

- Informations on the shield cover depicted by graham Sumner and found at Vindonissa ( a draw looking a soldier of leg VIII, holding a shield with sort of "celtic drawings" or "lines" in the book "arms and armour of imperial roman soldier" published recenty)

Someone can help me please ?

[Matt Lukes]

Send me a PM with your email address Alexandre and I can help

[Matthew Amt]

One thing which Van Driel-Murray doesn't make clear about the Caerleon cover is that it was clearly rectangular originally. There are stitch marks for straight reinforcements on 3 sides, and all just run straight off the rounded corners. So it was made as a rectangle at first, and at some point modified into an oval.

Matthew

[aelius colus strabo]

I don't think that this cover was made first for a rectangular shield and should be modified in second time for an oval shield . Van driel murray should have found a lot of stitching line in other ways that those made for an oval shield, and here, it's visibly not the circumstance. Also, for an oval and a rectangular cover shield, the direction of the leather grain is not the same . For an oval cover shield the grain direction is vertical, and for the rectangular it's horizontal . The crafstman can't use the hide as we would like, especially goat skin, because goat hide are narrow in width.

[Graham Sumner]

Hello Alexandre

- Informations on the shield cover depicted by graham Sumner and found at Vindonissa ( a draw looking a soldier of leg VIII, holding a shield with sort of "celtic drawings" or "lines" in the book "arms and armour of imperial roman soldier" published recenty)

This was based on information supplied to me by Raffaele D'Amato, in the form of a reconstruction line drawing from a report, which I assume was from Vindonissa. I sent this image a few weeks ago to Rene Cubaynes to pass on to your group.

I also read your posts on your site forum regarding helmet covers and the use of cotton. Cotton did exist in antiquity was probably more widespread than was at first believed, unfortunately it does not survive as well as either wool or linen. However even evidence of it's use in Britain has been found. It was grown in Roman Egypt and North Africa and also imported from India in ships which even had cotton sails! These details and another illustration of the shield cover are published in 'Roman Military Dress'.

Hope this helps.

Graham.

[aelius colus strabo]

Hello graham

Yes, it's true , rené send me your mail with this reconstruction of cover found at Vindonissa . Would you be so kind as to send me the entire report or ,if it's not possible, the bibliographical mention ( Jahresbericht der Gesellschaft pro Vindonissa ??? ) . I'd like to know dimensions, stitching's line or type .... and really see leather scraps whose permit this reconstruction.

Is there a link with new leather's discoveries made during the flooding of the "kantonsarchäologie" 's building, 30 august 2006 ?

Best regards

[Tim Edwards]

Alexandre,

I'd also recommend having a close look at the shield facings found at Masada.

If these had been found in a European context we would most likely have classified them as shield covers, except that the wood backing has survived on at least some of these!

They are published here:

http://www.oxbowbooks.com/bookinfo.cfm/ID/84097

I suspect some of what we have described as shield covers may quite possibly be the outer leather face of the shield, sewn onto the wooden board by binding on the edges.

The horizontal line on the top (assuming it is the top!!) of the Caerleon shield cover is a lot more curving than it appears on C van Driel Murrays line drawing. If as Matt says, this cover was reused for a more oval shield, both patterns would still exhibit paralell sides and a (variously) curved top and base edge.

Are you looking to adapt exsiting patterns to fit the standard rectangular third century Dura Europos shield?
I've tried this myself and been left with several doubts...

The Dura shield dimensions are wider than any of the shield covers I have seen from any european context. C van Driel Murray questions the widespread use of the Dura shield by so many first century groups - and I think she's quite justified. Its massively wide. I suspect most shields for our era were narrower and shallower, whether oval, rectangular or otherwise.

I've found it tricky to make a decent goatskin cover for the Dura dimensions without introducing vertical central seams, which I have never seen on original goatskin cover fragments.

It's interesting that there is a great deal of evidence for oval or sub oval shields in our era which we routinely dismiss for regualar legionary use. How do we know that the shield shown on Cordus' stela was not typical for the 14th legion? Why couldn't the Doncaster shield have been regular legio issue? Why are we convinced that Praetorian shields were antiquated throwbacks, as opposed to being similar to contemporary legionary shields?

Even those stelae and covers that do represent true rectangular shields seldom demonstrate anything approaching the dimensions of the Dura shield.

Why don't we copy the Valkenburg, Oberaden, Doncaster, Bonner Berg, Vindonissa or Caerleon dimensions for first century legionary shields? Most of these will be much more relevant for the periods and units most of us portray.

Graham,

I'd be very thankful if you could send me any details you have on the Vindonissa shield decoration.

I have A Gansser Burckhardt's book on my bookshelf, but have not seen anything similar.

[Medicus matt]

I have some recent photgraphs of the Caerleon cover fragments and the reconstruction, if anyone wants me to put them up?

[jvrjenivs]

I have some recent photgraphs of the Caerleon cover fragments and the reconstruction, if anyone wants me to put them up?

Yes, please

[aelius colus strabo]

yes me too, please

thanks ! :wink:

[Graham Sumner]

Would you be so kind as to send me the entire report or ,if it's not possible, the bibliographical mention ( Jahresbericht der Gesellschaft pro Vindonissa ??? ) . I'd like to know dimensions, stitching's line or type .... and really see leather scraps whose permit this reconstruction.

I have no report myself but I will see what I can find later this week.

Graham.

[Medicus matt]

Here we go...

[attachment=2:39xbcpld]<!-- ia2 shieldcov1.jpg<!-- ia2 [/attachment:39xbcpld]
[attachment=1:39xbcpld]<!-- ia1 shieldco2.jpg<!-- ia1 [/attachment:39xbcpld]
[attachment=0:39xbcpld]<!-- ia0 shieldcovA.jpg<!-- ia0 [/attachment:39xbcpld]

The last one, of the original find, is quite a high def pic so that you can see the stitch holes.

[jvrjenivs]

Here we go...

Many thanks. This is very helpful! Great picrtures. Laudes.

[Peroni]

Hmmmm... As my shield is based upon this tegimen fragment - I'll now endeavor to do one like this!

Taken from;
Ansgar Nabbfeld – “Romische Schilde” – Studien Funden und bildlichen Überlieferungen vom Ende der Republik bis in die spate Kaiserzeit. (KSARP 10 VML GmbH 2008)

[Tim Edwards]

I'll be doing the Caerleon cover in the new year for my Caerleon shield, will post pictures on this thread when I'm done.