![]() It also needs to be considered that finances played a role in ancient battles as much as today and attempts to keep costs down were undertaken so some societies only had a greave on the left leg as that was the leg most likely to be forward. Something else to consider is that a common method of fighting was the spear held over the head and used in a downward stabbing motion, the legs wouldn't be in much danger in mass combat. How that influenced the famous Greek shield we can only speculate.Įlongated or oval shields did become very common during the iron age and the Greeks themselves adopted a type they called the thyreos which they possibly copied from the Romans. The bronze age saw the dominance of geometric art which was squares, lozenges, zigzags and also concentric circles. Smaller flatter round shields do appear in other parts of Europe during the bronze age and it could be something as simple as you can trace the outline of a shield with a simple compass made of a scribe attached to a piece of string. It can't be answered with any certainty as it likely had a cultural reason, the same way the earlier figure of 8 shields used by the Mycenaeans might seem an odd choice. The gladius' short reach, combined with the necessity to get up close and personal to use the shield as a primary weapon, means a larger shield (curved to fit around the body, works better. The gladius is strictly a thrusting weapon, so restriction of arm movements is no longer of significance. The opponent is mauled by the shield, it's top edge and boss in particular used to wear an opponent down until his guard drops and the gladius can be slipped under his ribs. The greater reach of the spear also keeps the opponent at bay, so less defensive coverage is necessary.įor Roman Legionnaires of the classic period, the shield is actually the primary weapon, the gladius (short sword) secondary. ![]() Because of the many different ways in which a spear was used by a hoplite in offence, in and out of formation, a lighter round shield was more suitable by providing less interference with the spear use. are plenty of historical designs to choose from! On this page, you will find a collection of shield designs as depicted by period ceramics/ You can also find additional designs, conveniently grouped by period on this site.For a hoplite, the spear is the primary weapon and the shield only a secondary weapon, being primarily defensive. when you pick a design for your own hoplon, there. But even during this period, many cities allowed soldiers to choose their own designs. Later on, during the Hellenistic period, there is more evidence of standardised shield designs this was the time when standing armies, employed by the state, become more common. “A Spartan had as an emblem on his shield a fly, and that, too, no bigger than life-size. When some mockingly said that he had done this to escape being noticed, he said, “Rather that I may be noticeable for I come so close to the enemy that my emblem is seen by them in its true size.” Plutarch tells the story of one Spartan who used a life-sized fly as his shield emblem: There seems little evidence of standardisation, at least up to and including the 5th century: each hoplite chose his own shield design. Hoplite shield design was incredibly varied.
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