Due to this feature, many other cultures, especially Ancient Italy, adopted them for the benefit of their own armies. Ancient Greek methods of making armor were found to be very effective defensively. Mostly, they were made of bronze which maintained the vision and agility of the soldier. The Ancient Greek soldiers, who were also known as the hoplites were well-known for their heavy armor which came with a distinguished design. It was one of the most important pieces of armor for the warriors of the Ancient Greeks. So it was quite natural that in such battle-enthusiastic states, special importance would be given to the armor and guards of the warriors. In some city-states, like Sparta, which was a military state, it was compulsory for all men to undergo rigorous training and join the army after they crossed the age of 20. This was also a common feature in almost all city-states. It was a natural expectation that surrounded the belief system of the Ancient Greeks. They persisted during the middle ages as the buckler and the last use of a shield in battle by westerners was the Scottish Highlander targe which was a small round shield.In Ancient Greece, it was mandatory for men to serve the army for at least a minimum period of 18-20 years. Whatever the reason, the shield came full circle by the end of the western Roman Empire and round shields became the norm again. It also needs to be considered that finances played a role in ancient battles as much as today and attempts to keep costs down were undertaken so some societies only had a greave on the left leg as that was the leg most likely to be forward. Something else to consider is that a common method of fighting was the spear held over the head and used in a downward stabbing motion, the legs wouldn't be in much danger in mass combat. How that influenced the famous Greek shield we can only speculate.Įlongated or oval shields did become very common during the iron age and the Greeks themselves adopted a type they called the thyreos which they possibly copied from the Romans. The bronze age saw the dominance of geometric art which was squares, lozenges, zigzags and also concentric circles. Smaller flatter round shields do appear in other parts of Europe during the bronze age and it could be something as simple as you can trace the outline of a shield with a simple compass made of a scribe attached to a piece of string. It can't be answered with any certainty as it likely had a cultural reason, the same way the earlier figure of 8 shields used by the Mycenaeans might seem an odd choice. The gladius' short reach, combined with the necessity to get up close and personal to use the shield as a primary weapon, means a larger shield (curved to fit around the body, works better. The gladius is strictly a thrusting weapon, so restriction of arm movements is no longer of significance. The opponent is mauled by the shield, it's top edge and boss in particular used to wear an opponent down until his guard drops and the gladius can be slipped under his ribs. The greater reach of the spear also keeps the opponent at bay, so less defensive coverage is necessary.įor Roman Legionnaires of the classic period, the shield is actually the primary weapon, the gladius (short sword) secondary. Because of the many different ways in which a spear was used by a hoplite in offence, in and out of formation, a lighter round shield was more suitable by providing less interference with the spear use. For a hoplite, the spear is the primary weapon and the shield only a secondary weapon, being primarily defensive.
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