Small round shield

[Dan D'Silva]

Hello,

I had this idea recently for a quick project.  The Altıkulaç Sarcophagus suggests the existence of small round shields with dual central grips.  From what I've read, it doesn't look like the construction methods for light infantry shields in this part of the world are established, but going by pottery art of crescent shields, wicker seems possible. So I picked up a stiff wicker "placemat" from Pier 1 that looks about the right size, and adding a pair of leather or hemp grips should be no problem.

Do you think a rawhide or a tanned leather facing would be more appropriate?  Should it have a rim?

[Dan D'Silva]

So, I made a buckskin knuckle pad and grips.  One other question:  I could cover the back with garment buckskin before attaching the grips.  Does that sound like a good idea?
   

[Sean Manning]

Make sure you can put your forearm through the straps. The strength of this grip system seems to be that you can carry the shield in your fist by gripping the two straps, or put your arm through them and wear it.

[Dan D'Silva]

I'll give it a try.  The bands seem like they'll be just long enough if I don't stitch down too much of the ends.

If I add a rawhide drum cover facing, would a backing be needed for and effective at protecting the back of the facing from rain?

[Sean Manning]

Shields that will be worn on the arm often have something soft where the arm rests against the shield but I have not studied shields from the ancient Near East and Egypt specifically. One shield on the Alexander Sarcophagus from Sidon was painted inside the bowl, and painted shields are usually prepared by laying gesso over linen or hemp, but I have not studied shields from the ancient Near East and Egypt specifically.

I would pick an extant shield and make it as much like they made it as I could: a shield maker in Mali in 1880 or Thailand in 1911 or Swabia in 1452 knew his or her trade better than I ever will. I have not studied the shields with parchment faces, like Viking Age round shields, I don't know if the rawhide is completely waterproofed with paint.

[Sean Manning]

Also, there are some seals and seal impressions from the empire where the baddies carry small round or oblong or bowl-shaped center-grip shields without rims, like https://bookandsword.com/2015/11/28/the-...-argument/

There is some information on shields from Bronze Age Egypt in Rebecca Dean's Warfare and Weaponry in Dynastic Egypt and in:

Stonborough, William (2011) The Shields of Pharaoh: A Study of Ancient Egyptian Protective Military Equipment, Incorporating an Analysis of Skin-Based Materials, a Review of Current Knowledge, and the Results of Experimental Archaeology. MA thesis, University of York.

But shields are disposable, mixed media artefacts of mostly organic materials so we need to be very lucky for one to survive, be excavated, and be published from the ancient world. The good info on Argive shields (which you would think would be easy to obtain) is in a Vatican Museum magazine you have to visit to purchase and a PhD thesis in modern Greek!