12-20-2005, 10:47 PM
Several points.
Reading a book 30-odd years ago hardly counts as being familiar with the text IMO.
As Jason said, the figure-8 shield went out of use at least 200 years before the alleged date of the Trojan War. Same with the "tower" shield.
Homer describes many shields in detail and all of them are circular in shape. Granted they are all carried by the elite and there is little mention of the common troops.
The text specifies that different size shields were carried by different people but there is no indication that any of them were anything other than circular.
It is highly likely that some troops in the Trojan War carried shields that were not circular but it is ridiculous to claim that they must have been of the figure-8 or tower typology since neither is evident in the relevant time period. There are many other typologies that are far more likely.
Contrary to the opinions of some there certainly is enough evidence to justify making a reconstruction of a "full-height" circular shield to determine whether it is feasible to use it in the method described by Homer. The whole point of my paper was to draw all that evidence together. It is unreasonable to expect me to paste its 9000+ word content on here though.
I'll finish with this image. It is a seal found on Cyprus and dating to around 1200BC.
http://s8.invisionfree.com/Bronze_Age_C ... id=3868003
It may not cover "neck to ankle" but it certainly extends down past the knees and is consistent with Tyrtaeus' shield that covers "chin to shin" It is the best example of a Homeric shield that I have seen. Note the detailed embossing on the bronze face, the central boss, and the circular shape.
Reading a book 30-odd years ago hardly counts as being familiar with the text IMO.
As Jason said, the figure-8 shield went out of use at least 200 years before the alleged date of the Trojan War. Same with the "tower" shield.
Homer describes many shields in detail and all of them are circular in shape. Granted they are all carried by the elite and there is little mention of the common troops.
The text specifies that different size shields were carried by different people but there is no indication that any of them were anything other than circular.
It is highly likely that some troops in the Trojan War carried shields that were not circular but it is ridiculous to claim that they must have been of the figure-8 or tower typology since neither is evident in the relevant time period. There are many other typologies that are far more likely.
Contrary to the opinions of some there certainly is enough evidence to justify making a reconstruction of a "full-height" circular shield to determine whether it is feasible to use it in the method described by Homer. The whole point of my paper was to draw all that evidence together. It is unreasonable to expect me to paste its 9000+ word content on here though.
I'll finish with this image. It is a seal found on Cyprus and dating to around 1200BC.
http://s8.invisionfree.com/Bronze_Age_C ... id=3868003
It may not cover "neck to ankle" but it certainly extends down past the knees and is consistent with Tyrtaeus' shield that covers "chin to shin" It is the best example of a Homeric shield that I have seen. Note the detailed embossing on the bronze face, the central boss, and the circular shape.
Author: Bronze Age Military Equipment, Pen & Sword Books
