The "Fred thread": the Argead Macedonian Army

[PMBardunias]

If 66-70 cm suited "most men," then why did shields from 62-66 and 70-77 cm in diametre exist?

I think I've shown that there is no strict correlation between forearm length and shield diameter because there are ways to make wider shields work for smaller arms by changing the curvature and porpax placement. I have discarded that notion for the aspis some time ago.

As to shield decoration, I think it reasonable that a unit such as the ‘Chalkaspides’(Bronze shields) would be alike – and of course it is only the bronze faced type that has survived the vagaries of time. Others, such as the ‘Leukaspides’/White shields may not have had bronze facings at all, and would certainly have required bronze edging ( to avoid weapons splitting them), as we see on ‘scuta’ and the rims of non-bronze faced ‘argive aspides’.

I thought the "white" shields were actually silver.

And these tests still do not answer the question of how the deeply-dished rimless shields, like those shown on the Pydna monument and the Pergamon battle plaque, were used with the sarissa. As Paul's test shows, this would not be practical in the least. So how do we account for these deeply-dishes shields?

I'd bet that they built out the section below the porpax. I could not test this easily, but no need since through the miracle of paint we can show what would happen. If there is any truth to the reliefs at Ephesus, I think they show this. See below:

...An Argive shield with a looser strap but no porpax, is what I would like to see tested.

See below, no need to test it because we can predict what would happen from my test. You need either a long, loose antilabe, or you have to move it further out along the shoulder. The shoulder section is what ruins the shield for sarissa use. A better idea would be to build out the porpax like the deep pelta and move it right. By the way, I don't doubt that the aspis "could" be used with a sarissa, only that at some point the modifications required rise to the absurd and you might as well build a new shield.