Stick-and-leather shields

[Sean Manning]

For my Achaemenid research, I have become interested in ancient shields of wooden rods threaded through leather. Gerra (Ancient Greek) or spara (Old Persian) seems to have meant a large one. There seem to have been similar designs using reeds instead of branches.

Published examples include several Sasssanid examples found at Dura Europus (only one of which I have seen), and four Central Asian ones from the Altai barrows (published in S.I. Rudenko, Frozen Tombs of Siberia pp. 219-221). All of these were roughly rectangular. The figure-eight shields shown on Persepolis art might have been of similar construction, as might some Hittite shields of the late Bronze Age. I have seen a claim that the Thracian pelta was made this way, but haven’t seen any evidence. (the Hoplite Association page alludes to experiments and evidence).

Nick Sekunda has repeatedly stated that they were made by threading painted osiers (willow branches) through wet dyed rawhide. I don’t know what evidence the “wet rawhideâ€

[Paullus Scipio]

Just to elaborate on the shields published by Rudenko, from the tombs in the Altai mountains at the Eastern end of the "Sea of Grass".....
He describes two types :- the first,28cm x 36cm, consisting of 34 or35 round, whittled sticks (type of wood unspecified), which he says were plaited through thin leather ( not hide). Along the edge, the leather was turned over and secured at the back. The shield was held by a broad band/loop in the middle, inserted from the front. Four of these were found.
There was another type found in one tomb. Three shields with three straight sides and the top semi-circular, 53cm x69cm, these too were made of sticks whittled down, about 1cm in diameter threaded through leather in a decorative pattren. These larger shields were re-inforced with two transverse sticks, one 1cm above the bottom, and the other 3.5 cm below the top, which followed the curve.
Hopefully this will assist someone making a reconstruction, and maybe then testing it .
Presumably it was capable of keeping out long range archery from bows with a launch energy around 35 joules, and sufficed for hand to hand combat ?

[Sean Manning]

I do recommend Rudenko's book to prospective reconstructors, though! It shouldn't be too hard to get ahold of, and it has many useful diagrams and photos.

Anyone who does make and test one will have at least one eager questioner in me. I can't do it myself, as I am busy with other projects.

Perhaps I will email the Hoplite Association about their claim that peltai were made this way and allusion to grave finds, since none of them has stepped forward.