Quote Originally Posted by Seleukos
Seleucid captains? not much historical indeed! They wear corinthian helmets of 5th cent BC and hold funny shields--octagon hoplon shields???
Anyway..

That shield isnt the Hoplon shield, the hoplites' shield isnt the hoplon either

Quote Originally Posted by From Another forum stated by friend
The shield is actually called Aspis. The word shield. The word Hoplon, is the word Oplon. which like lots of greek words gets an extra letter shoved here and there when spoken in a more english tongue.
Oplo meant tool, and then got turn to mean a generic term for any warriors tool, such as armour or weapon.

Oplon, then took on the name of the shield. The term hoplite meant "a man who carries tools of war" or "a man who carries weapons" and then the shield got named as Hoplon as the most obvious tool of the hoplite (other than the spear/pike).

In modern greek Oplon means weapon also. which makes it easy.