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The Roman panoply consists firstly of a shield (scutum), the convex surface of which measures 2.5 ft (76 cm) in width and 4 ft (120 cm) in length, the thickness at the rim being a palm's breadth. It is made of two planks glued together, the outer surface being then covered first with canvas and then with calfskin.
According to legend, one divine shield fell from heaven during the reign of Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome. He ordered eleven copies made to confuse would-be thieves, since the original shield was regarded as one of the pignora imperii (pledges of rule) , sacred guarantors that perpetuated Rome as a sovereign entity.
The scutum from Dura-Europos is the only surviving semi-cylindrical shield from Roman times. It is now in the Yale University Art Gallery (inventory number 1933.715). The shield was found in the excavation campaign of 1928/37 on Tower 19 of Dura-Europos (in present-day Syria). [ 1 ]
In the testudo formation, the men would align their shields to form a packed formation covered with shields on the front and top. [1] The first row of men, possibly excluding the men on the flanks, would hold their shields from about the height of their shins to their eyes, so as to cover the formation's front.
Clipeus of Iupiter-Ammon, conserved at the Museu Nacional Arqueològic de Tarragona A Victorian depiction of a hoplite with a clipeus. In the military of classical antiquity, a clipeus (Latin: [ˈklɪpeʊs̠]; Ancient Greek: ἀσπίς) was a large shield worn by the Greek hoplites and Romans as a piece of defensive armor, which they carried upon the arm, to protect them from the blows of ...
The Homeric shield is one of three figural painted shields found together in an embankment within a Roman garrison during the excavations of Dura-Europos. Dura-Europos was a border city of various empires throughout antiquity, and in modern archaeology is noteworthy for its large amount of well-preserved artifacts.
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The parmula was the shield used by thraex gladiators. It was also used by the Roman vexilliferi or flag bearers that carried the standard that marked the cohort, as well as by most early auxiliaries. In the Pyrrhic dance it was raised above the head and struck with a sword so as to emit a loud ringing noise.