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The clipeus was used by Romans during the Roman Kingdom and early republic but was replaced by the legionary scutum, a convex rectangular shield, in the later Roman Republic. However, the scutum disappeared during the Crisis of the Third Century. All troops adopted the auxiliary oval (and sometimes round or hexagonal) shield (parma or clipeus). [3]
Their round shape enabled the soldiers to interlock them to hold the line together. Sometime in the early fourth century BC, the Romans changed their military tactics from the hoplite phalanx to the manipular formation, which was much more flexible. This involved a change in military equipment. The scutum replaced the clipeus.
In the former, the soldiers carried a round shield, which the Romans called a clipeus. In the latter, they used the scutum, which was larger. Originally it was oblong and convex, but by the first century BC it had developed into the rectangular, semi-cylindrical shield that is popularly associated with the scutum in modern times.
Scutes on an alligator foot. A scute (/ s k j uː t / ⓘ) or scutum (Latin: scutum; plural: scuta "shield") is a bony external plate or scale overlaid with horn, as on the shell of a turtle, the skin of crocodilians, and the feet of birds.
Clipeus; P. Parma (shield) S. Scutum; Shield of Aeneas; T. Testudo formation This page was last edited on 18 May 2015, at 01:00 (UTC). Text is available under the ...
Officially, the name scutoid was coined because of its resemblance to the shape of the scutum and scutellum in some insects, such as beetles in the subfamily Cetoniinae. [1] Unofficially, Clara Grima has stated that while working on the project, the shape was temporarily called an Escu-toid as a joke after the biology group leader Luis M. Escudero.
This shield was adapted by Roman legions and referred to by them as a scutum. [8] The Roman scutum was an oblong shield with an oval shape. [5] [8] Numerous shields were used by the Roman soldiers, such as the pelta, parma and clypeus. [8] In contrast to the scutum, these shields were round. [8]
The parma was about 36 inches (91 cm) across (or less) and had iron in its frame, making it a very effective piece of armour.Parmae had handles and shield bosses (umbones).