Shields?

**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.

**Ibrahim** · 03-29-2009, 19:56

Originally Posted by Zaknafien

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.

I see. I will try to check it out.

well, all I know about roman shields is tied to the late empire: namely the Notitia dignitatum. they have some really fancy patterns for the various field army regiments, so I know that at least in the late empire the shields followed regimental lines with each shield referring to a different unit.

**Ludens** · 03-29-2009, 20:28

Originally Posted by Ibrahim

they have some really fancy patterns for the various field army regiments, so I know that at least in the late empire the shields followed regimental lines with each shield referring to a different unit.

A different unit within the regiment, or did the shields differ between regiments?