I read on the forums here a while back that the chrysaspides were the invention of a classicist who was working for one of the Roman emperors (the one who recreated the phalanx [?]) while compiling a list of Greek terms for military units. Using the leukaspides, chalkaspides and agyraspides, he extrapolated a unit with golden shields to "fill the gap" and included it in his lexicon of high-brow Greek words and technical terms for use at dinner parties. The emperor liked it and named a unit of his phalanx after it. Or something like that. Don't blame me if I'm wrong, since I have also heard Abou's explanation before.

Just giving what I have read.

Chairman