I was looking through some history books for more information on the actual size of the Roman Scutum.

According to The Complete Roman Army, by Adrian Goldsworthy, the size and shape of the Roman Scutum varied through the centuries.

Apparently, remnants of a shield from 300 BC were found in an archeological dig. The shield we oval shaped and about three feet nine inches long. Goldsworthy does not say the actual length of the shield, but scale drawings of the shield are placed next to another shield for which the author gives the exact length...

A second shield from 300 AD was found on another archeological dig. It is square and about 3 feet 3 inches. But shield from 300 AD is also wider and wraps further around the soldier holding it.

Apparently, no shields have been found for the period between 300 BC and 300 AD. However, the leather case for a shield from about 100 BC suggest that the shield carried in that case was somewhere in between the 300 BC and the 300 AD, but closer to the 300 BC type.

What I have not found is an adequate description of the the shield was handled. It seems that the shield had one horizontal grip right in the middle. But, just one horizontal grip, with no point of leverage, for such a large shield seems too awkward. A soldier holding a shield like that would have no control over it. An opponent pushing the top or bottom of the shield would make the shield swing back and forth wildly and live the poor roman soldier hopelessly exposed. Maybe the shield most have had some leather straps through which the soldier stuck his arm or wrist, and (maybe these leather straps rot away and were never found in the archeological digs).

Any of you know of a source that has actually conducted some research as to how the shield was wielded in battle?