Clipeus construction

[Marcus Mummius]

Salvete,

What would be the best most authentic way to construct a flat, oval shield?

What wood did the Romans use? I've read the Doncaster shield was made out of three layers of planks, the central layer being oak and the outer layers alder.

Is there evidence for other wood?

I take it these shields would have been thicker in the center and get thinner towards the edges (about 5mm thick at the edges, judging from most edging finds).

Would the planing of the shield have been done after the three layer construction was made, or would pre-planed strips have been used?

Did the Romans ever use thick planks to make flat shields, instead of the three layered construction.

Valete,

[jkaler48]

I use oak and birch strips for my latest Auxilla shields. Alder is in the birch family and is much more expensive in the US than birch. Black Alder is native to Europe and also Italian alder is from southern Italy. I don't think using a different Alder species such as US Red Alder would be any more authentic than substituting birch. I am not worried about the authenticity police showing up to take core samples while most reenactors are still not upgraded from modern plywood yet! I had to put several coats of paint on the back of my Indian made scutum to hide the plywood manufacturers logo
which inspired me to try the strip building method.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Hmmmmm, now where did I put my coring bore!!! :twisted:

[caiusbeerquitius]

I don´t think that the Doncaster shield was flat - it would be the only shield fragment of that construction method to be from a flat shield. The excavation report does not draw a lot of comparisons to other shield finds, had the writers done, the current shield reconstruction would most certainly look quite different.

[Peroni]

I don´t think that the Doncaster shield was flat -

The flange of the Doncaster shield boss is VERY flat. I've handled it.
http://www.vicus.org.uk/images/bits%20f ... shield.gif

[Marcus Mummius]

Oak and birch sound good to me.

Do you think it would be best to make a board (curved or flat) of an equal thickness all over and then plane it to make it thinner towards the edges or would it be better to use strips that are already shaped.

The latter method sounds very difficult to me. Also I do not know if the oak core has to be the same thickness all over or if it has to be thinner towards the edges too...

Thanks for the input until now.

[Tim Edwards]

Did the Romans ever use thick planks to make flat shields, instead of the three layered construction.

One of the Masada shields exhibits the plank construction similar to that seen with the later finds at Dura Europos, suggesting that whilst perhaps uncommon, plank built shields do appear in our era.