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+--- Thread: The size of Imperial shields? (/showthread.php?tid=31054)
The size of Imperial shields? - Draugr the Greedy - 03-23-2019
Not long ago, I had someone point out that the size of the shields you see in columns and other carvings are quite a lot smaller than the common re-enactors shields you see today:
Coupled with Polybius description on how the shield was used, it makes sense that it'd be that size, and not the pavise-sized shields we see many people today associate with them.
So my question is, how the hell did we go from that, to this:
![[Image: 7671948e805f26710d4b7821284885f2.jpg]](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/76/71/94/7671948e805f26710d4b7821284885f2.jpg)
Or am I missing something here?
RE: The size of Imperial shields? - Robert Vermaat - 03-23-2019
Artistic license.
RE: The size of Imperial shields? - Crispianus - 03-24-2019
On Trajans Column your seeing an artistic impression, if you want to know the true size of a shield then you need to look at archeological remains such as the evidence from surviving shields, their components and items like leather covers... off which there are quite a few, the current shield sizes are generally based on these artifacts not artistic impressions...
RE: The size of Imperial shields? - Draugr the Greedy - 03-24-2019
(03-24-2019, 01:50 PM)Crispianus Wrote: On Trajans Column your seeing an artistic impression, if you want to know the true size of a shield then you need to look at archeological remains such as the evidence from surviving shields, their components and items like leather covers... off which there are quite a few, the current shield sizes are generally based on these artifacts not artistic impressions...
The thing being... that there aren't many that I know of
And again, the description of how they were used fits the small shield size more than it does the huge thing we see thrown around a lot.
RE: The size of Imperial shields? - Nathan Ross - 03-25-2019
(03-24-2019, 08:45 PM)Draugr the Greedy Wrote: there aren't many that I know of
Twenty-four whole or fragmentary shield boards were found at Dura Europos; of these, the complete rectangular scutum found in the ruins of Tower 19 measures 1.06 metres by 0.86 metres, and I believe this is the size usually adopted for reconstructions. A number of oval shields from the same site are of comparable size: 1.18x0.95 for the 'Homeric' shield, 1.17x0.97 for the 'Amazons' shield, 1.18x0.94 for the 'Warrior God' shield.
The 'republican'/Hellenistic oval scutum from Fayum in Egypt measures 1.28x0.6m, the native British oval shield from Doncaster is 1.25x0.6m, and leather imperial-era shield covers found at Vindonissa are of similar size to the Dura and Fayum shields.
RE: The size of Imperial shields? - Condottiero Magno - 03-26-2019
(03-24-2019, 08:45 PM)Draugr the Greedy Wrote:(03-24-2019, 01:50 PM)Crispianus Wrote: On Trajans Column your seeing an artistic impression, if you want to know the true size of a shield then you need to look at archeological remains such as the evidence from surviving shields, their components and items like leather covers... off which there are quite a few, the current shield sizes are generally based on these artifacts not artistic impressions...
The thing being... that there aren't any that I know of
And again, the description of how they were used fits the small shield size more than it does the huge thing we see thrown around a lot.
The legionary helmets were also altered, in this case to better depict faces...
![[Image: 5YsZ8DU.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/5YsZ8DU.jpg)
![[Image: 0rPWizH.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/0rPWizH.jpg)
Looking at the Tropaeum Traiani , shield sizes are inconsistent between metopes...