08-02-2006, 09:18 AM
Quote:I had a question about adding those strips to hold plumbata on the inside of your shield : how were you able to work around the problem of using rivets so that they aren't visible on the face of the shield ? Did you attach the strip before adding the canvas to the face ?Hi Theo,
How thick is your shield? Mine is between 7 and 9 mm, and 4 small nails are perfectly sufficient.
Which brings me to the next topic - do you mean to throw them from the shield?
We've been discussing this lately and the more I read and think about it, the more I come to the conclusion that the 'plumbatae inside the shield' were not meant for front troops (lines 1 to 4), but especially for the supporting troops (lines 5 to 8) , who then maintained a constant rate of fire over heads of their comrades in front of them.
If not, throwing plumbatae would mean getting rid of your hasta first. And throwing them directly from the shield has it's own set of problems, even though both are possible.
Therefore I think that even if immediate use of the plumbatae from the shield is possible (like when troops are attacked on the march, in the camp, or while forming up), I think it's most likely that they left them with the supporting lines when the battle started.
What do you think?
Robert Vermaat
MODERATOR
FECTIO Late Romans
THE CAUSE OF WAR MUST BE JUST
(Maurikios-Strategikon, book VIII.2: Maxim 12)
MODERATOR
FECTIO Late Romans
THE CAUSE OF WAR MUST BE JUST
(Maurikios-Strategikon, book VIII.2: Maxim 12)