07-08-2016, 01:19 AM
(07-06-2016, 12:31 PM)Dan Howard Wrote: They were turned on a lathe, reinforced across the grain on the front with thin wooden laths, and reinforced on the back with leather.
(07-08-2016, 12:41 AM)Dan Howard Wrote: A large wooden bowl was found at Mycenae (1200BC) that has a plugged central hole and tool marks consistent with being turned on a lathe. A partial wooden bowl found at Cornetto (Etruscan, 700BC) has the same indicators of being turned on a lathe. I think there was one found in Bavaria dating to the 6-7th C BC as well. There is enough evidence to conclude that the Greeks had wood turning lathes during the time in question and had been using them for a long time.
According to an article published in the MIT Press, the piece from Mycenae does not show signs of turning or grooves. Although, this does not mean it wasn't in fact turned. The "Tomb of the Warrior" pieces from Cornetto were a mix of bowls and vessels; then later in Etruscan history we have turned hairpins, beads, and wooden platters. Two flat dishes were uncovered in Asia Minor from the 7th c. BCE, and bowls and boxes have been found in the Crimea from the 5th c. BCE. The bowl/goblet from Bavaria was found with very primitive tools along with it. These are all very reasonably sized bowls or serving ware.
A block of wood (poplar or willow) that was required for a smallish-sized aspis would have been roughly 375-400 pounds. That's a conservative estimate. This would be a monumental feat to turn on a lathe -- powered manually either by a strap, bow, or pole lathe -- 2,500 years ago. Once again, there is no evidence for an aspis being turned by a lathe in the ancient world.
Scott B.
