Oval shields c. 190 C.E.

[LvpvsRomanvs]

I have been looking at pictures of Aurelius' column and most, if not all the 'legionaries' (presumably) wield what appear to be flat oval shields rather than the rectangular type. When exactly were flat oval shields introduced to the Roman legionaries? Were they standard issue at the time(c. 190 C.E.)? The majority of these soldiers look like auxiliaries and resemble those of Trajan's column: http://www.heritage-history.com/books/t ... age005.gif

Again, here, the soldiers look like auxiliaries: http://www.livius.org/a/italy/rome/col_ ... rcus04.JPG

and here: http://www.livius.org/a/italy/rome/col_marcus/rain.jpg

Ofcourse, the equipment of the legions changed through the years but I'm quite suprised that the equipment of the legionaries would look so similar to that of the auxiliaries. From what I have seen, legionary equipment began to resemble that of the auxiliary well into the mid 3rd century. But then again, I could be completely wrong...

Maybe the soldiers depicted are indeed auxiliaries? If so, are there any pictures that I havn't seen of the Column of Aurelius depicting Roman legionaries with rectangular shields etc.?

Grazie,

Lorenzo.

[LvpvsRomanvs]

Anyone? lol

[caiusbeerquitius]

What makes you think the shields were flat?

[LvpvsRomanvs]

What makes you think the shields were flat?

Well, they appear to be, looking at the column. It just confused me that most (if not all?) the soldiers that I have seen from the Aurelian column have oval shields (which appear to be flat). To my knowledge, flat oval shields were adopted by Rome's legionaries during the mid third century?
From the column, it would seem that these oval shields were standard issue. I was under the impression that during 190s the rectangluar scutum would have been the most common.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... us.arp.jpg

This is one of the best images that I found. As you can see there is a whole range of armour depicted, but all the shields are uniformly oval. Most of them look flat. Howeverat the top of the image, in the centre, the shields look curved.

[LvpvsRomanvs]

I have found some images of curved oval shields here: http://www.romanarmy.com/cms/images/sto ... 799992.JPG

But these are from a later period.

I think I'll make another topic. I've been looking at the column of Aurelius because I'm trying to find out how a legionary would have appeared during the Marcomannic wars.

[jho]

You may want to look at this thread:

link from old RAT

for a discussion of potential reasons for the shift to oval shields.

The 3rd century Dura shields were dished but for the 2nd century I do not believe that we can be certain whether shields were flat or dished.

I remember reading an article indicating that there is evidence that the legionary fabrica at Bonn was making oval rather than rectangular shields in the 2nd century but I do not have the reference here.

[Crispvs]

Don't forget that the figures on the column of Marcus Aurelius are probably not directly modelled on real soldiers and equipment but are modelled much more on other sculptures close by. Its relationships with the nearby Trajan column are well known, even to the point of depicting the emperor at more or less the same points on the frieze. The sculptors clearly had an eye for aesthetic style as they executed the figures and there are lots of examples where soldiers marching in lines are shown in alternating armour types, with one man wearing segmentata, the next wearing mail, the next scale, the next segmentata, the next mail and so on. In this context I think it would be unwise to put too much faith in the depiction of shields on the column.

Crispvs