Shields?

**SwissBarbar** · 03-26-2009, 21:13

at least we can be quite sure, that their shields were not read, decorated with white painting called "COCA COLVM"

**Prussian to the Iron** · 03-26-2009, 22:14

lol. I think instead they read "Manishewitz Red Wine"

:snicker:

**bobbin** · 03-26-2009, 22:16

I imagine the sheild type will be the same for marians onward but the decoration will vary form soldier to soldier.

**antisocialmunky** · 03-26-2009, 22:17

You also must consider cost of shield decoration. The poorer classes would have fairly basic shields with cheaper colors/paints/simpler designs while the more affluent would have more decorated arms and armor. Since everything they had was pretty pimped out. There really isn't any argument against showing off who they were on the biggest and most visible surface.

**Zaknafien** · 03-26-2009, 22:47

actually Romans dissapproved of shield-painting altogether at least until the early principate.

**antisocialmunky** · 03-26-2009, 23:08

So no "Gaius Corvus slept with you mum" enblazing you shield in 3 different languages huh?

**/Bean\** · 03-26-2009, 23:26

Hehe..

So, the Romani did begin to paint their shields red after Marius? Which is where the legionary as we know him is born in all his forms, colours and all?
Interesting.

Why, then, are the Polybian Principes and Triarrii red? Is this actually inaccurate? Or was it to show a gentle change from Camillan to Marian?

**SwissBarbar** · 03-26-2009, 23:58

Originally Posted by _Bean_

Hehe..

So, the Romani did begin to paint their shields red after Marius? Which is where the legionary as we know him is born in all his forms, colours and all?
Interesting.

Why, then, are the Polybian Principes and Triarrii red? Is this actually inaccurate? Or was it to show a gentle change from Camillan to Marian?

Well, they surely did paint their shields before, but not uniformly, since the soldiers had to construct (or let construct) their own shields and could colour it in whatever manner they liked to.

Concerning the Polybians.. well, good question. Why are all the Camillan ones brown? Because the EB team only could've given them 1 colour, due to hardcoded clone-army limitations, and decided for the ones they have now. That's why I'm very much looking forward to EB II

**Ibrahim** · 03-27-2009, 00:10

Originally Posted by Zaknafien

actually Romans dissapproved of shield-painting altogether at least until the early principate.

how did you come across that?

**Zaknafien** · 03-27-2009, 00:33

the most famous bit of literary evidence perhaps is Scipio's dressing down of a soldier in spain for presenting a 'highly decorated' shield.

**/Bean\** · 03-27-2009, 09:28

That's very interesting...have you got a passage?

**Ibrahim** · 03-28-2009, 04:23

Originally Posted by Zaknafien

the most famous bit of literary evidence perhaps is Scipio's dressing down of a soldier in spain for presenting a 'highly decorated' shield.

I see. thanks!

**Zaknafien** · 03-28-2009, 04:55

the anecdote is in Plutarch's sayings btw. And yeah, i could see shield recognition being used during/after the civil wars as a way to identify romans from other romans.