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Umbones for republican scutum
#1
Salvete

I plan to order republican scutum for myself.

And I have seen this umbo made by Daniyal :

[Image: rep4.jpg]

What do you think about this shape ? What kind of umbo would you propose for republican scutum ?

Where can I find source of republican umbo with such (or similar) engravings ?

Thank you in advance for all help

Valete
Cacaivs
Legio XXI Rapax
Cacaivs Rebivs Asellio
Legio XXI Rapax - http://www.legioxxirapax.com/
a.k.a Cesary Wyszinski
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#2
Not 100% sure, but I have seen an engraved one , somewhere.
Visne partem mei capere? Comminus agamus! * Me semper rogo, Quid faceret Iulius Caesar? * Confidence is a good thing! Overconfidence is too much of a good thing.
[b]Legio XIIII GMV. (Q. Magivs)RMRS Remember Atuatuca! Vengence will be ours!
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Batavian Coh I
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#3
There are so few umbones found, that it seems safe to use that engraved one. There are a few found from different periods, so I read, that are engraved in different ways. The design looks plausible, though it seems more Celtish than Roman, that doesn't disqualify it, at least in my book.

One big deal is to make sure the curve of the umbo matches the curve of the shield...but afaik, this shape, with the wooden spines on the front side is one of the variants of a Republic shield, but I couldn't say exactly which century.
M. Demetrius Abicio
(David Wills)

Saepe veritas est dura.
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#4
When you say 'Republican' don't forget that this term encompasses five hundred years or more. You really need to be a bit more specific than that. I think that the type of boss shown would be fine for a very late Republican shield, but if you were to go back even to the time of Polybius (which is only as far as the late second century BC) you would probably find that the vast majority of bosses would be wooden 'barleycorn' bosses, some possibly with a metal plate equating to the Gallic 'butterfly' boss, which was almost certainly an intermediary step between the wooden boss and the all metal boss.

As far as decoration goes, we really start to see a lot of decoration on surviving bosses from the second century AD onwards, with earlier identifiable Roman bosses being fairly plain. That said, when Caesar was in Gaul he would certainly have put Gallic smiths in friendly or conquered areas to work making equipment for his soldiers and they would be very likely to decorate their pieces in the way they were used to.
That said, the decoration on this boss does not look at all Celtic to me. The leaves are far too naturalistic and seem much more like the decorative patterns seen on some first century AD apron terminals (then again, it also reminds me somewhat of late 19th century wallpaper :wink: ).


Crispvs
Who is called \'\'Paul\'\' by no-one other than his wife, parents and brothers.  :!: <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_exclaim.gif" alt=":!:" title="Exclamation" />:!:

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#5
I was thinking about late Republican = Cesarian Time.

Thank You
Cacaivs Rebivs Asellio
Legio XXI Rapax - http://www.legioxxirapax.com/
a.k.a Cesary Wyszinski
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#6
Crispvs, I was using the term "Celtic" from the non-historian perspective, which would include the Gauls (I know, I know, I've heard the bazillion word arguments for and against...) So, really, if the Gauls are lumped in, then Caesar would have had access to their craftsmen, of course. The patterns are not the same as, say indigenous Brittonic lines, or La Tene mirror back decorations, but to me, they have a similarity to a generic "Celtic" pattern, as opposed to a realistic representation of vegetation. More abstract than objective, I guess, would be a better description. The design reminds me of Cowboy tooled leather.

Any way you look at it, though, it's a very attractive piece of work.

Would it be reasonable to say that an engraved boss (hand-engraved, not stamped by hydraulic presses) would be considerably more expensive, so perhaps more appropriate for a veteran, or an officer of one sort or another? Just thinking, not trying to start a fight.
M. Demetrius Abicio
(David Wills)

Saepe veritas est dura.
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