Mykale, a naval battle?

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

Stephen,of course i'm not arguing that one should use dura finds to justify anything in the fifth century bc. However,the Dura shields have extraordinary resemblance to both descriptions and to ancient greek representations. They are wicker branches put one next to the other tightly,through holes in rawhide, that form patterns identical to those of the vases. In at least one of the vases i have seen,the parallel wicker branches are indicated. Their size and shape is also the same. The Dura shields had a central handle,and at least three spara on vases are shown carried by a handle. Two of them are in the same vase and one is shown face on and the other in profile. In another vase the shield is shown in profile,and rests to the ground with a special stick supporting it.The Persian is fighting behind it without touching it.
It is not true that Persians were always shown in thracian or scythian gear(or a combination of the two together with imaginary clothing). In some vases depicting the sparabara and painted shortly after the battle of Marathon,the persians are shown in real tiaras,with wide chitons over their anaxyridae,and with t&y cuirasses,some quilted and some similar to the greeks. This seems a rather accurate representation of what the greeks must have faced in Battle.
I believe that the painters themselves must had seen the Persians,since it's rather difficult to describe a tiara and depict it so accurately only by second hand description!
Thus,i let it in you how to interpret the fact that the spara on greek vases -all of them- are like a photo of the Dura shields,that were in use 1000 years later!
I haven't seen the iranian depiction of a spara. Can you post a photo?
Khaire
Giannis