Mycenaean Warriors

[Dan Howard]

I just spent three years examining the Iliad specifically looking for shield references and re-translating the text. With any luck my work will be published next year. Homer is very clearly using the line in question to describe Aias as the metaphorical "tower of strength". The only way that phrase on lines 7.219, 11.485, 17.128 can be used to describe the shape of Aias' shield is if it is mistranslated deliberately ignoring the order of the three words in question and ignoring the case of the two nouns. This false translation also relies on the assumption that the Greeks called this particular typology a "tower" which is very very unlikely. In fact there is nowhere in the entire book where Homer describes the shape of Aias' shield. There is no reason not to assume that it was circular like every other shield described by Homer.

Hektor's shield is very clearly and specifically described as being both full-height and circular. It is possible that multiple traditions are attributing two different shields to Hektor - one that is full-height and one that is circular. But even if that is the case there is nothing to suggest that the full-height one is the figure-8 typology. There at at least 4 different full-height shields in the archaeological record from the early Mykenain period through to Homer's time and Hektor's could just as plausibly been any of them. There are specific arguments for it NOT to be the figure-8 typology. Hektor's shield was faced with bronze, the figure-8 was not. Hektor's shield has a central domed boss, the Figure-8 did not. Hektor's shield had a central hand grip, the Figure-8 did not.