Plumbata

[Robert Vermaat]

Hi - on the subject of carrying plumbatae with the shield, a member of Comitatus has come up with a simpler method which would not leave traces on the shields. In my mind it is much more useful what do you think?

I see no problem, besides a dangling bag is very cumbersome - if 5 plumbatae are inside this is no small weight and it might be a problem. The trouble is that we have no clue whatsoever how to carry these things, as vegetius is by no means clear.

Why do you think a plumbatae suspension can't leave traces on a shield? We have no remains of shield that could tell us how plumbatae were attached to the shield. The best examples, from Dura Europos, come from an area where no plumbatae have turned up to begin with..

Use a leather bag to carry the plumbata, the bag can have a drawstring, it can be tied to the handgrip. It can be removed, passed to someone else - etc. There is no chance of recieving a cracking blow on your shield that will damage the plumbata (something that has happened with us - though I guess that's not a valid problem when you consider that these items would be thrown before hand-to-hand combat was initiated).

I say yes to a bag, but keep in mind that these things are sharp (not a good idea to transport them with the points upwards!) so you need a sturdy bottom in your carrying device. Which is why I opted for the quiver, because the 'leather case' that is mentioned in the Strategikon just might point to such a device. Maurikios never mentions the number 5, so we get no denial nor a confirmation of Vegetius' ideas.

Would you say that a configuaration like mine is vulnerable? How was that shield damaged - in what manner and what was the resulting damage? Any pictures? The idea is of course that the shields were dished!
Large image with plumbatae

I've checked Vegetius - he doesn't rule the bag theory out.

The trouble with vegetius is that he probably had no idea of how these plumbatae were carried. Five inside a shield is either assymetric, or maybe he thought of the way I tried to carry them - I don't know. :roll:

I agree that these things were either thrown before hand-to-hand combat ensued, or they were left for the supporting troops to use them during the battle itself - we know how fond Late Romans were of heavy missile covering fire. :wink: