05-17-2020, 03:22 PM
Hello everyone!
This is the visual journal of how I constructed my aspis.
The excellent aspis build guides written by Matthew Amt and Chris B. (and Chris's YouTube videos) were invaluable. I know that their contributions to Greek reconstructions are well known on this forum. But on the off chance that someone finds my Greek shield building thread through Google first, I urge those visitors to instead go and view all the material by Matthew and Chris first. I'm posting this as a "thank you" to those two guys for answering alot of questions for me before I ever even had to ask, and for generously sharing their time and experiences through those guides. I feel that more shield-building tutorials are better than less, that way we can pick and choose what we like from each other's methods.
Matthew Amt's Greek Hoplite Page
http://www.larp.com/hoplite/hoplon.html
Chris B. - Making an aspis, ring method visual aids
http://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/thread-12823.html
I think the lathed/turned shields and steamed/formed lath/slat shields (like those of forum members Athena Areias and Zolis, or Huovi and Giannis K. Hoplite) are absolutely gorgeous. I decided upon using the layered ring method because I figured it would take me the least amount of time to complete with the tools and workspace I had available.
I'm 6 feet tall and weigh 175 pounds (182 cm and 80 kg) which I figure is an average build for a man of the 21st century. I decided that the current thinking of a 36 inches (100 cm) diameter shield was right for my body size. Any smaller and it wouldn't cover my thighs or the man to my left, and it might look a little tiny when I held it. I knew that if I made a 36 inch diameter shield, it would weigh more than a 34 inch shield, but I didn't - and still don't - know by how much. But since I read online that the average aspis would be around 16 pounds (7 kg) at 36 inches diameter, I figured that's what I should expect (and that turned out to be correct).
So I read through a bunch of aspis construction threads online to see what kinds of materials they used. Some are more historically accurate than others, though all of them when finished look like what we've seen on vases in terms of their width and depth. So I came up with a diagram of a cross section of my shield at 18," since I would just double it to 36" from the center point. This is the same method described by Matt Amt on his site (check out the link at the top of this post). I planned mine to be around 4.5 inches deep (11.4 cm). I planned my rim to be 1.5 inches (4 cm) wide, and 0.5 inches (12 mm) thick at the outside edge, and 1 inch (25 mm) thick where it met the bowl of the shield. I did this because I was thinking of encircling the finished aspis with a 1/2 inch wide brass band, and since I could locate 1/2 inch wide brass strips, this would save me the effort of cutting the brass. (As a side note, I have yet to purchase the brass strip and attach it, since I like my finished aspis the way it is.) I also used the Peter Connolly "Greece and Rome at War" book, plus several of the Osprey books about the Peloponnesian War and Greek hoplites for additional inspiration. Many of the images from those books can be found online using a Google search. A visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City a week prior to starting was also very helpful. Seeing depictions of shields on vases close-up and in person, rather than on a computer screen, definitely helps put you in the right frame of mind.
At the very end of the build post I list a bill of materials used, with some notes regarding where the materials were sourced, areas to cut costs and changes I would make on a future shield.
I've learned alot during this process about ways to speed things along, and have a greater understanding of why hoplite equipment functions the way it does. My aspis is, of course, an amateur's first attempt. But I'm very pleased with my end result. I hope the text and images of the process will be useful to you.
This is the visual journal of how I constructed my aspis.
The excellent aspis build guides written by Matthew Amt and Chris B. (and Chris's YouTube videos) were invaluable. I know that their contributions to Greek reconstructions are well known on this forum. But on the off chance that someone finds my Greek shield building thread through Google first, I urge those visitors to instead go and view all the material by Matthew and Chris first. I'm posting this as a "thank you" to those two guys for answering alot of questions for me before I ever even had to ask, and for generously sharing their time and experiences through those guides. I feel that more shield-building tutorials are better than less, that way we can pick and choose what we like from each other's methods.
Matthew Amt's Greek Hoplite Page
http://www.larp.com/hoplite/hoplon.html
Chris B. - Making an aspis, ring method visual aids
http://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/thread-12823.html
I think the lathed/turned shields and steamed/formed lath/slat shields (like those of forum members Athena Areias and Zolis, or Huovi and Giannis K. Hoplite) are absolutely gorgeous. I decided upon using the layered ring method because I figured it would take me the least amount of time to complete with the tools and workspace I had available.
I'm 6 feet tall and weigh 175 pounds (182 cm and 80 kg) which I figure is an average build for a man of the 21st century. I decided that the current thinking of a 36 inches (100 cm) diameter shield was right for my body size. Any smaller and it wouldn't cover my thighs or the man to my left, and it might look a little tiny when I held it. I knew that if I made a 36 inch diameter shield, it would weigh more than a 34 inch shield, but I didn't - and still don't - know by how much. But since I read online that the average aspis would be around 16 pounds (7 kg) at 36 inches diameter, I figured that's what I should expect (and that turned out to be correct).
So I read through a bunch of aspis construction threads online to see what kinds of materials they used. Some are more historically accurate than others, though all of them when finished look like what we've seen on vases in terms of their width and depth. So I came up with a diagram of a cross section of my shield at 18," since I would just double it to 36" from the center point. This is the same method described by Matt Amt on his site (check out the link at the top of this post). I planned mine to be around 4.5 inches deep (11.4 cm). I planned my rim to be 1.5 inches (4 cm) wide, and 0.5 inches (12 mm) thick at the outside edge, and 1 inch (25 mm) thick where it met the bowl of the shield. I did this because I was thinking of encircling the finished aspis with a 1/2 inch wide brass band, and since I could locate 1/2 inch wide brass strips, this would save me the effort of cutting the brass. (As a side note, I have yet to purchase the brass strip and attach it, since I like my finished aspis the way it is.) I also used the Peter Connolly "Greece and Rome at War" book, plus several of the Osprey books about the Peloponnesian War and Greek hoplites for additional inspiration. Many of the images from those books can be found online using a Google search. A visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City a week prior to starting was also very helpful. Seeing depictions of shields on vases close-up and in person, rather than on a computer screen, definitely helps put you in the right frame of mind.
At the very end of the build post I list a bill of materials used, with some notes regarding where the materials were sourced, areas to cut costs and changes I would make on a future shield.
I've learned alot during this process about ways to speed things along, and have a greater understanding of why hoplite equipment functions the way it does. My aspis is, of course, an amateur's first attempt. But I'm very pleased with my end result. I hope the text and images of the process will be useful to you.