This may be a vestigial element recalling the Mycenean telamon rope, which Homeric heroes used to sling their shields from front to back as needed, although such an action would be impossible with the aspis. Paul Bardunias has further theorized that the concavity of the aspis would also have protected the hoplite’s diaphragm, allowing him to breathe in the otherwise suffocating crush of classic othismos.Ī final element of the aspis is the mysterious but near-ubiquitous presence of a rope run around the interior of the aspis through bronze loops affixed at various (and often inconsistent) points. A simple but important point is that the dome shape is not only structurally strong and comfortable to bear, but profoundly comforting to its bearer, allowing him to feel more or less safely ensconced within a protective shell which – in addition to a helmet and greaves, would have rendered him almost completely armored to a facing opponent. easily carried on the shoulder) itself justifies the complex construction, but others have noted that the curvature of an aspis adds 40% more to the weight of a flat shield of equal thickness and width – a high price to pay for convenience. Some speculate that the ergonomic shape of the aspis (i.e. However it was constructed, the aspis’ unique shape was complex and difficult to fabricate, suggesting there must have been a practical reason that hoplites almost universally adopted it. The sharp interior curve of the aspis’ bowl shape can also be comfortably rested on the hoplite’s shoulder, making the approximately 16lb weight much easier to bear while standing or on the march. This arrangement allows the shield’s considerable weight to be borne at the center of its weight by the left arm and easily maneuvered with the left hand. The left hand then grasps a handle at the shield’s rim known as the antilabe. The offset wooden rim was often sheathed in bronze, either as part of a bronze facing, or as a separately fashioned piece.Īt or near the center of the interior is a broad arm cuff made of bronze and/or wood called a porpax, through which the left forearm is thrust up to the elbow. Blazons perhaps identifying individuals, clans, and eventually city states ( polei) were either painted on the shield’s face or cut from bronze and affixed there. Pitch or glue appears to have been used as structural adhesives, with gesso/plaster used for finishing/priming. Aspis interiors were generally covered with linen or leather for comfort, although the Chigi Vase shows only a L-shaped plate of bronze or leather over the exposed wood (or wicker) core where the bearer’s arm would be. The domed face of the aspis was either covered with a sheet of thin (.5 mm) hammered bronze, or layers of linen and/or leather. Wicker shields were of course common throughout the ancient world, and are generally tougher than is often supposed today, especially when sheathed. It features a single layer of butted wooden planks, either lathed, carved, or steam-bent to produce the dome shape.įragments of a wooden aspis core in _ show a different construction in which two or three layers of thinner slats are bent and mounted in the rim (perhaps under tension) in a cross-laminated manner producing an especially resilient dome.Īrtistic representations suggest that a third (probably earlier) aspis type may have been made of wicker – a tradition perhaps vestigially reflected in the wicker-like “guillouche” design often seen on the bronze rim of aspides, and perhaps also shown on the famous Chigi vase (although the wicker-like aspis interiors seen there more likely represents the aforementioned wooden slat version). The best known wooden core is found on the Bomarzo Shield in the Vatican Museum. Archeological finds have produced at least two construction variants. The core of the aspis is made of wood – usually poplar or willow according to Aristotle’s contemporary Theophrastus, both water woods desirable for their lightness, resilience, and self-healing properties. Approximately three feet in diameter, the aspis is primarily identified by its distinctive hollow bowl shape (5 or 6 inches deep), 3” offset rim, and unique two-point grip system. The single most important element of the panoply – the piece which gives its name to the hoplite himself – is the aspis shield, also known as a hoplon or the Argive shield.
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