Greek Bronze Age Tower Body Shields

Daniel Duxfield · Location: Deep in the heart of Orcland

Does any body have any references to Greek Bronze Age Tower shields?

Looking online I've found few references to to them being used LH IIIB, about the time of the Trojan War (1300 t0 1250 BCE). I know Ajax and Hector fought with them and that they were used by various Greek tribes/groups besides.

If anyone knows where I could get a good indication of the hand holds for the inside, I would be most appreciative. Or better yet, if someone has details of their construction . . . .

Anyway, I'm looking to make one for a bit of variety to my weapon collection before I make my Aspis/Hopylon.

Cheers.

Gaius Drustanus · This account is inactive Location: auckland

Hi Dux

As always, I found that Peter Connelly's book "Greece and Rome at War" was good for discussing Mycenean/Minoan/Bronze Age shields among other things. It's a Classic really. Do you mean the Figure of 8 ones or the Big Rectangular type? Another good book on all of this stuff? There is another recent one by Tim Everson (?) "Warfare in Ancient Greece", I think, which I have around here, somewhere.

When I was at Castle Mountain at Easter this year for the biannual Australasian Historical reenactment conferance I met a Very Nice young Peltast who was a postgraduate at Adelaide University and on his way to becoming a World Expert on Mycenean Shields. I'll try to look out his email details for you.

Connelly is a good source too for both the Hoplite Hoplon and the Macedonian aspis/ phalangite buckler. IMO the buckler Aspis of the phalangite is much more versatile for NZ reenactment combat situations than the clunky antique Hoplon. Might be cheaper/easier to make too (you could make a Macedonian aspis using a Wok!?, I believe).

The Norsemen would just LOVE to whale away with their 2handed axes at a Bronze covered Classical hoplon in the Shield Wall. They would give that one SPECIAL attention.

Gaius Drustanus · This account is inactive Location: auckland

Hey Dux
Did you get my pm with the email address of the South Australian Peltast who is an upandcoming University academic on Bronze Age Tower shields: Alan Smith ?!