Two Museums, Two Shields

[PMBardunias]

I recently had a chance to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY and the Boston Museum of Art. I took many pictures, but I thought some might like to see these shields, with me for scale (6'3"). I know nothing about the providence of these artifacts

The first is a bronze pelta facing from the Met in NY:

[attachment=10862]NYPelta.jpg[/attachment]

The second is a bronze aspis facing from the museum in Boston:

[attachment=10863]BostonAspis.jpg[/attachment]

[Youngster]

For the Aspis, the MFA's website ( http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/sh...ype-262227 ) gives:

Provenance
By 1971: with Münzen und Medaillen, A.G., Malzgasse 25, Basel, Switzerland (according to the firm's invoice of April 25, 1971: purchased from a private person in Switzerland); purchased by MFA from Münzen und Medaillen, A.G., September 15, 1971

They don't have a find spot listed, but you might be able to get more information if you email them. I'd guess that they don't know where it came from, but are satisfied that it is authentic.

The Met does not seem to list that particular shield on their online collection but they have several similar examples, all of which they list as 7th cent. BCE Italic and Etruscan shield bosses
http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-...nformation
They have find spots either, but again you may be able to get more info with a quick email. The Met thinks that these are funerary bosses, rather than practical facings for a pelta. Perhaps they were found in a tomb? The descriptions seem to imply that the curator might have more information.

[PMBardunias]

The Met does not seem to list that particular shield on their online collection but they have several similar examples, all of which they list as 7th cent. BCE Italic and Etruscan shield bosses ...The Met thinks that these are funerary bosses, rather than practical facings for a pelta. Perhaps they were found in a tomb? The descriptions seem to imply that the curator might have more information.

Thank you. The pic of the shield in the met I posted is not so clear, but I am pretty sure it is a pelta and from no earlier than the 4th c.

[attachment=10867]20140911_143703.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=10868]20140911_141447.jpg[/attachment]

[JaM]

that "Pelta" looks more like Carthaginian Clippeus which was said to have no rim, while being slightly larger than Greek aspis.. It looks quite large to be Macedonian style pelta.

[Youngster]

I suspect you are correct. I did a second search on the Met's collection, but I can't find any shield of that since in the database. I visited the met about 6 months ago, but I don't recall seeing that piece. Out of curiosity what are the approximate measurements? I looks about feet wide from the picture, which is too big to be a boss.

[PMBardunias]

I am tempted to say the peltae is "eight palms wide", but I don't know because they provide nothing for scale and perspective plays tricks with it. For what it is worth, my glasses are 14 cm wide.

I found the pic I took of the shield's info. Seems it is inscribed Demetrios.


[attachment=10872]Peltainfo.jpg[/attachment]

[SirStag]

These shields are smaller than I would have thought (shield wall, etc.). I suppose that infers the smaller size of ancient Greek warriors?

[PMBardunias]

when you see the helmets and thorakes you really get a feel for how small they were. I am probably some 9-10 inches taller than the average ancient greek, and, shall we say stouter as well.

[Youngster]

If it's a phalangite shield, it should be a bit smaller than the average aspis, to accommodate an extra hand on the sarissa. Regardless, I doubt they made any of these shields with a 6'3" frame in mind.

[Prowler0508]

Well, I don't think that's true.

Did any of you have a chance to get a plaster cast of your own head. You would be surprised how small it appears to be, or, rather, how wrong our own perception of ourselves is.

We, modern people, are used to ''oversized'' helmets we use today, and even the ancient replicas, being commercial, are few sizes too big most of the time.

For example.

[img width=400]http://www.4hoplites.com/Ancient%20Generals.%20Hoplites.3m.%2010thOctober%202004.png[/img]

The fact ancients were few inches shorter, in average, which isn't something that you or I would be able to recognize in real life (Kerameikos bodies come to mind), doesn't mean they were smaller. On the contrary.