stefansasse:

racefortheironthrone:

aspis vs scutum?

These are two forms of shields used by the ancient Romans at various times. The aspis is theshield we think of when we think of the Greek hoplite and (pre-Alexandrian) phalanx: a large round shield, covered in bronze, and largely supported by the shoulder and the Argive grip. Borrowing as they had much of their military technology from the Greek-influenced Etruscans, the early Romans used this kind of shield quite heavily. 

However, the aspis wasn’t that well-suited to the more flexible and less tightly-packed ranks of the maniple (a tactical formation that the Romans borrowed from their neighbors the Samnites) and so the Romans replaced the aspis with the iconic scutum. By contrast, the scutum was a curved rectangle, with iron edging and an iron boss in the center of the shield:

Without all of that heavy bronze plating, the scutum was much lighter, so that it could be wielded easily in one hand without the need for shoulder support, which made it easier to hold up the shield while throwing the pilum or stabbing with the gladius, as opposed to relying solely on spear thrusts. Moreover, the longer scutum did a better job at covering the legs and feet during combat, so that despite being lighter than the apsis, it actually provided more protection. And finally, the scutum’s design allowed for tactical innovations: the testudo formation, for example, wouldn’t really work with the aspis because it would be more exhausting to lock shields and you wouldn’t be able to huddle together closely enough, leaving gaps.

So yeah, scutum all the way. 

So…why did they change to oval shields in the late Empire?

Well @warsofasoiaf would know better than me, but I would guess that it had a lot to do with the decline of infantry vs cavalry and the fact that scutum were pretty damn awkward to use on horseback.