Hoplite Shield Composition

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

It is not at all true that the only shield we have is the vatican shield. Although it is true that it is the most complete one,it is by no means the only one. There have been other fragmental shields found,as Paul mentioned,but there is a number of unpublished ones which bear A LOT of information on different tecniques of construction. One of the most important speciments is the shield B' form Derveni tomb. Parts of the wooden core survived, where even marks of the manufacturer's notes have been found! On that shield there wasn't bronze cover and thus the planks were kept together with small bronze sheet links that were put on the inside of the planks and then were riveted on each side,keeping the planks together. Some other shield fragments show wooden nails stuck in pieces of wood!
The Derveni shield also had some strange carved lines all around the inner surface of the shield,around the area of the biggest angle of the bowl. These lines,according to the archeologist who published it, were serving to cancel the force of the grain of the wood,which is responsible for the eventual bending and twisting!
Between the planks there was also some kind of glue.
None of these features were present in the Vatican shield for a simple reason:the bronze bowl offered sollutions of all the above problems. It cept the planks tightly together and prevented twisting. It is also earlier than the Derveni shield by probably a century or more.
The article is : "Hoplon: the Argolic shield and its technology" by Vasiliki Stamatopoulou. I haven't been able to contact her yet,nor have i been to the Aristoteleion University Library yet,where i can find it. I have only read small parts of it and seen some photos.
Summary of the article here: http://invenio.lib.auth.gr/record/18179
The Vergina shield,the one with the iron porpax and inner attachments had a linen face! Also,parts of leather have been preserved on the inside of the iton porpax!
Khairete
Giannis