02-28-2007, 04:55 PM
Peter,
A lathe is certainly the easist and best results method for production today, if you have one big enough. But there are finds as big a 40 inches across and many of the surviving originals are not circular, but rather tend toward slightly oval. I believe that either of these factors would make it next to impossible on any ancient wheel, and perhaps even the majority of modern wheels, to make an aspis.
To bad we will never know for certain.
I think that the later, smaller, and more symetrical shields of the hellenistic age are more likely to have been wheel produced, but I think the Classical age shields were hand produced in some fashion. It is the only way I can find to account for all the oddities of construction.
Cordially,
Michael
A lathe is certainly the easist and best results method for production today, if you have one big enough. But there are finds as big a 40 inches across and many of the surviving originals are not circular, but rather tend toward slightly oval. I believe that either of these factors would make it next to impossible on any ancient wheel, and perhaps even the majority of modern wheels, to make an aspis.
To bad we will never know for certain.
I think that the later, smaller, and more symetrical shields of the hellenistic age are more likely to have been wheel produced, but I think the Classical age shields were hand produced in some fashion. It is the only way I can find to account for all the oddities of construction.
Cordially,
Michael
Mediocris Ventvs Qvod Seqvax Maris
Michael
Michael
