Why Didn't The Romans Strap Their Shields On Their Arms?
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- čas přidán 20. 04. 2021
- The Romans used rectangular centre gripped shields for their citizen soldiers. Why did they not choose strapped on shields like they did in the Middle Ages? Let's find out!
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A Roman legion was the largest unit of the Roman army, consisting of centuries as the basic units.
For most of the Roman Imperial period, the legions formed the Roman army's elite heavy infantry, recruited exclusively from Roman citizens, while the remainder of the army consisted of auxiliaries, who provided additional infantry and the vast majority of the Roman army's cavalry.
A legion consisted of several cohorts of heavy infantry known as legionaries. It was almost always accompanied by one or more attached units of auxiliaries, who were not Roman citizens and provided cavalry, ranged troops and skirmishers to complement the legion's heavy infantry.
From the time of Gaius Marius onwards, legionaries received 225 denarii a year; this basic rate remained unchanged until Domitian, who increased it to 300 denarii. The soldiers did not receive all the money in cash, as the state deducted a clothing and food tax from their pay. To this wage, a legionary on active campaign would hope to add the booty of war. Slaves could also be claimed from the prisoners of war and divided amongst the legion for later sale, which would bring in a sizeable supplement to their regular pay.
All legionary soldiers would also receive a praemia on the completion of their term of service: a sizeable sum of money and/or a plot of good farmland; farmland given to veterans often helped in establishing control of the frontier regions and over rebellious provinces.
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#Metatron #AncientRomans #Shields
If the Roman empire hadn't collapsed, their shields would probably have evolved into a complete cylinder.
Can't get attacked on the flank if you have no flank!
Bruhh, it's Dendra panoply all over again
how do you walk/see carrying a complete cilinder? makes no sense at all
@@manabellum guess I was too dull at the moment my man
Rolling rolling rolling down the river.
Have you seen those warriors from Rome? They have curved shields! CURVED SHIELDS!
A semi-cylindrical shield.
Good they don't have curved swords
You can strap it vertically
@@jeremiahyusufov9388 yea but that would be useless
@@kenrudd6362 why? (I’m serious idk anything about this shit and would appreciate it to add to my knowledge)
Barbarian: “Why the short sword?”
Roman: “This scutum is the primary weapon. The sword is just to finish you...”
Well the roman short sword was adopted from barbarian short swords like the celtic leaf shaped blade so they were ahead of the romans in that regard.
@@jonathonfrazier6622 the gauls were the best in metallurgy in those times
@@jonathonfrazier6622 Actually it was adopted from the Iberians during Scipio the African campaigns. There are also several etruscan swords with similar design.
@@ravenstrategist1325 Celtic short swords are a native developement. They were already present throught celtic Europe and the British isles long before Carthagian influence and geographically far beyond its sphere if influence. I am ignorant of the weaponry of Carthage but any similarity would be a coincidence. The history celtic short and long swords goes back to the bronze age. Now perhaps in later centuries ( and this is merely conjecture on my part) it is plausible that influences back and forth between Carthage and the Celtiberians may have resulted in a techno complex but this would have been a very late developement and one that would be confined geographically to Iberia and North Africa.
@@jonathonfrazier6622 The Iberians used primarily two types of swords: "Falcata", a ricurve blade, and "Gladius Hispaniensis" the latter the Romans adopted for its superiority over their own blades. While metallurgic ability in Gaul is well known it is unfair to say that other neighbouring peoples could not have developed independent creation on their own. The Etruscans, a very advanded people had both chainmail and short swords of their own design. Sadly much knowledge has been lost. :(
15:04 Bruce Lee "Use what works from any style"
Romans "Use what works from any military"
So, Bruce was of Roman descendent?
Logic
more of anything when the romans conquered a new area where like hay look what the locals are doing that a good idea lets take it and make it better and give it to the whole empire
@@LuxisAlukard AFAIK, it's strongly suspected that Crassus' lost legions ended up in China, so it's not out of the question.
For real though! During the first punic war they literally copied Carthage's warships, improved them, and then went to defeat the Carthaginians with their version of Carthage's warships... Most pragmatic culture ever existed!
Now imagine a legionnaire explaining to his centurion that his belt is missing, because it's in America.
You are beeing ranked on tenth place of the front line for next decimation!
Hi I wanted to like it, but it's at 69 so
@@BluesOnAcid I get what you mean, but legions use decimal, so a better number would be a power of ten.
At this point I think the centurion's main question is not where his belt is, but what America is
@@ilsignorsaruman2636 Ah, but the answer is obvious, it's a new conquest for the Empire! :D Call the Emperor!
The Latin valediction at the end of was plūs quam perfectum! 🤩 Macte virtūte, estō! And yes, you *must* keep the beard 🧔⚔️
Ahaha Hey Luke! Good to see you here :)
@@metatronyt After my knowledge curved shields work better against Projectiles "sloped armor effect .
Skal ,Shad ,Mat estone, and Metatron has uplouded video in same day...life is beutiful
The sword, shield and rucksack trifecta.
Invicta too, covering the spys of the roman army
Yea but shads video is just yet another unresearched opinion video, which seems to be all he does these days.
And Matt Easton, in the meantime
@@LuxisAlukard give me while to edit my coment
That clincking and clattering of plates with every gesture, I can just imagine the typical noise of a typical Legion now. XD
I’m imagining a bunch of kitchen utensils fell down a flight of stairs
Loud, frightening especially in remote areas
Legion soldiers clank like a kitchen and gleam like newfallen snow….
The Legions did *not* depend upon stealth, except when unarmored and on a forced march in the night, so they could take up positions before dawn. Even then, as they armored up for the battle, it had to sound like a junkyard exploding . . .
One fact I find very noticeable and important about curved shields is how stable they are. Because of the curve, the center of gravity in 3D is inside the curve, and because of how the handle is placed, it presses the top of the shield on the arm and shoulder, and make it naturally come in this upright position. A flat shield has the handle about where the center of gravity is, and if the umbo is a bit heavy, it even makes the shield want to tilt forward. The stability of the scutum makes it a "foolproof" shield, with lots of passive protection allowing more slack to the soldier: he knows that even if he's a bit tired, maybe already wounded and with reduced attention, his shield will stay in place no matter what, and he doesn't need to actively be worrying about readjusting its position constantly.
I was complaining to myself that he never turned the shields around to show us the grip.
@@boxhawk5070 Look at the inset videos. Plenty of images of the grip there.
I wonder if legionaries were grateful for the design of their shields on rainy days? “Rome: we need an all weather army! Let’s give them shields shape like tiles”
That actually seems plausible. Hey tiles. Roof. Testudo... tada rectangular shield and then lunch.
There has been speculation that individuals may have used them as shelter in bad weather. Sort of like shelter halves.
Presumably they had rain covers for the shields.
And sandal boot things. Squelchy fun times.
I was in the Society for Creative Anachronism a very long time ago, it has changed since then. We fought with real but unhistorical armor and fake swords. At that time a few fighters used kite shields, about half used heaters and the rest what we called "viking rounds". The way I have seen them used in some videos does not work. A center grip turns your shield into another blunt force weapon for your opponent. A 24" to 30" round piece of wood ( we used plywood) held only at the center will turn and hit you when struck at any edge. A large round shield must be used correctly. There is a grip in the center with or without a boss. There is also a strap the length of the users forearm towards the edge. You put your arm through the strap and hold the grip. You now have control of your shield. The shield is rotated around your elbow to put the entire radius of the shield between you and the blow. DO NOT try to block a head blow by raising your arm. The shield will "table" exposing your ribs underneath it. The memory still hurts.
Sorry about the rant. The excellent explanation of how to use a scutum and why triggered me for some reason.
@@markhorton3994 I understand, it's your ribs ranting.
When I read "creative anachronism" I imagined compressed paper katanas (for those terrifying paper cuts) and electrified shields, which can be shockingly effective except against paper katana wielders.
You see those legionaries from Rome? They’ve got curved shields. Curved. Shields.
Wondering how far along this comment was going to be - good to see someone is keeping it alive.
Wheres that line from?
@@MaxHohenstaufen Skyrim guard
Skyrim belongs to the empire
@@MaxHohenstaufen
I think it s from Carry on Legionnairing
4:43 True.
When I was an auxialia in the battle against the rebels in the north, they let me use my deadric shield and ebony armor.
Just as I was looking for something to watch while I eat...Now I must make me a snack worthy of The Metatron
Do you have any pasta and sardines? Any garum, perchance?
@@gunnar6674 eating pasta while watching the Metatron hits different
Same.
Some random guy in the internet: "This people at this age didn't use / wear / know THIS thingy"
Metatron: "Well, guess what I have iconography about..."
This program was brought to you by Nesquik™
The middle of your shield is also where you hand is. Makes sense for it to be more protected since even minor penetration can ruin your hand and thus your grip.
Today is Rome's 2774th Birthday and Metatron uploads a video.
Coincidence?
And the video is 27:74s long 🤯🎣
@@novapariah8135,
The more you dig...
@@novapariah8135 No it isn't?
i think NOT
@@novapariah8135 🤔
You would be the greatest history teacher.
Thank you for that!
He is!
would be ? he IS, youtube is a greater knowledge base than any university.
i had a good history teacher but the my classmates in that class were idiots and never took it seriously. so half the class was the teacher telling people to shut up or giving detention
👍💜
A curved shield also gives more protection against missile fire I would expect, higher chance it will slide off (not encumber your shield) and easier to protect your side and front at the same time.
Boss held shield would also be faster to extract a javelin from as you can easily put it down.
My thoughts, exactly. A frontal attack is more likely to hit a flat shield perpendicularly, than a curved shield. 👌🏻
Chances are also big the shield became curved after observing what their own pila javelins did to their enemies' shields. The curved design could also be a byproduct of testing.
The fact that I enjoy the most.. would be probably, that the "guy" wearing armor, talking about armor + weapons + history and war is in the room filled with books and "historically looking items" and behind him shining yellow "Nesquick" :D
Like my room, just.. I lack all books and historical toys :-/
I now wonder if he's sponsored by Nesquik...
How could an Italian man control himself around good pasta?
You have nothing to blame yourself for, good sir!
The curved shield tells us another thing - the Romans fought more often in an open order, where each soldier has a comfortable space for movement. While they could use a tighter formation, and I'm sure there were occasions where it was needed, those shields are not designed with a mind for a tight shield wall (compare with the Gallic Thureos and the Greek Aspis/Hoplon).
This suggest to me a curious mix of individual martial valor and prowess and a collective discipline, without one overshadowing the other. Perhaps one more reason why they were so successful.
I believe the descriptions of the Macedonian Wars give evidence of that. Romans used greater flexibility to chop their way into the pike phalanx with the gladius. Descriptions of doing that actually led several 16th century armies to have units of sword and buckler men just for the job of breaking pike formations and 17th century Scottish highlanders did the same thing. Looser formation than a pike square, charge, catch the pikehead in your targe, hack the head off and then go at the man holding a now useless pole. Langets exist on pikes because that was a problem.
I think it actually gave them the ability to stalemate a spear wall with fewer men for envelopment. Defensively they could individually hold off 3 pikes for quite a while I expect - or even just tire them out. A pike takes a lot of energy, and you could tag out. Javelins also even the odds vs pikemen.
They were a response to pike walls, and clearly there are many varied strategies they could plausibly use to defeat them.
@@BigWillyG1000 It isn't entirely true on the langets- the bigger forces were from the user slapping them down and whacking with them- cutting them is demonstrated to be a reasonably poor solution, and the extra leverage means some wicked mean swings to crush through armour/helmets while your mates thrust defensively.
While that kind of assault can be done it is expensive in experienced men and not often the best choice- also the gladius isn't a great weapon for hacking off the head off a pike due to its short reach and relatively weak cuts.
One other note is chinese and japanese spears sometimes used extra barbs to bind pikes, as do various medieval polearms for binding or even breaking pikes (billhooks and so on), which seems to be a more effective way to directly counter pikes directly- even dealing with multiple at once.
I rather think it was a defensive, attrition based counter by design.
@@carbon1255 The gladius was basically a machete, especially the Republican era ones. Use as a hacking weapon was actually common. One Macedonian king is recorded as being shocked by the damage to the bodies of his men the gladius caused- severed heads, cut off limbs, etc.
@@carbon1255 Point of interest - if the object is hacking off the head of the pike, reach is irrelevant, since you are attacking the end of *his* reach - you don't need to bypass any defenses. But I agree with you, hacking the heads off does not seem a very good plan, and I believe there is at least one dedicated video on the topic by either Metatron, Matt Easton and/or Lindybeige.
I am less familiar with the medieval sources on the Doppelsöldner vs pike formations, though. I do believe Bidenhänder and Poleaxes lend themselves better to slapping down pikes and thus disrupting their formation, but perhaps the added force of the bigger weapon might make cutting off the pike heads more feasible?!
In any case, the big scutum facilitated both close- and open-order fighting and flexibility on the battlefield is always an advantage.
My first thoughts regarding the optimality of a curved shield were two words: ”Force. Redirection.”: Incoming objects, whether they’d be arrows, blades, clubs, or what have you, are more likely to smooth off of a curved shield, than a flat one; thus, the curvature adding an extra aspect of protection.
Also, one of my theories about why some didn't prefer strapped shields is because they prefered to drop the shield rather than to break your arm.
On the bearded roman soldiers: probably if you are running around waging war for months, you can find people whose least important problem is shaving
The Roman military did have grooming standards, even when in the field though.
So they did shave in encampments and such. 😁
@@sevenproxies4255
Weren't there times when Julius Caesar and Marc Antony didn't shave or cut their hair after some setback? Would it be possible for others to do something similar?
Crimean war photos are interesting, guys on campaign don't tend to shave. Also some of the more recent Special Forces stuff, but whether that's an attempt to blend in, or just a normal reaction to active service, I'm not sure.
@@eldorados_lost_searcher I read somewhere that Caesar had his beard plucked instead of shaved, so he didnt have to spend as much time shaving during campaigns.
If I am not mistaken, Hadrian wore a beard to cover a facial scar he got on campaign.
As soon as I go to search this channel for videos you upload, are you stalking me Italian man? 😂
Rome didn’t conquer its enemies without proper reconnaissance ;)
@@thomaszhang3101 I see 😂
Happy founding day, my fellow Romans!
It was really interesting to see some of these principles used last summer in parts of the US when people were having to form shield walls to protect themselves from police violence - one of the quick ways people were making lots of sturdy shields was by slicing round garbage cans in half and adding a center grip, resulting in a very similar shape to the imperial shield - good against both lower-speed projectiles and tight formations of trained attackers trying to beat you with clubs, even in a modern context
I started to learn latin. You are still inspireing me with such good content . I want to speak latin so that i can understand You. Your latin is beautyful.
Really detailed information on this subject, thanks! This stuff is always interesting
"Shield AND greaves, or a larger shield and NO greaves." Right.
4:25 A small point of correction:
The sarissa was the long two-handed pike used by Macedonian phalangites. Greek hoplites used the much shorter dory/doru, which could be wielded with one hand while the other arm bore the hoplon.
Great explanation!
I cannot stop giggling every time Metatron says "Straps" and "Strap on"
Lmao XD
Giggity
Oh kinky
Bonk! Go to horni jail!
Please don’t
I thought you were starting the video with a shaving club sponsorship. 🙃
I had an idea quite close to the reality of the use of the Roman scutum, but you, more than confirming things for me, removed all the historical and practical doubts that I had before, especially since you have two perfect replicas for the explanation. It's been quite an interesting video and I encourage new subscribers to check out topics you've already touched on in the past, like this one.
Been waiting to hear that iconic introduction music again for weeks!
Thank you for putting the link to the other video on the description.
Also, thank you for speaking Latin. Makes this video even more awesome to watch about romans.
New to your channel, this was interesting, thank you.
I'm glad to hear!
Dude your armor is amazing I love your channel.
Thank you very much!
Another advantage to having a scutum-type shield over a large flat shield is that its less likely to get caught on your neighbor's equipment, possibly causing interference. this also helps when exchanging ranks.
Great job Metatron!
You're using much less cuts in your videos and I really appreciate it!
Awesome video.
Smart explanations. Thanks.
Before watching I think strapped shields have one big disadvantage compared to center grip boss shields. If you have your arm strapped to the shield any arrows that hit your shield with force could easily pin your arm to the shield, that's a big downside imo
Arrows of those days didn't really pack enough of a punch to penetrate any somewhat decent shield. Look as Crassuses ill fated troops who spent literally hours under a barrage of arrows without taking many losses (at this point) and I think it's Caesar who mentions a Centurion with well over three dozen arrows stuck in his shield after an ambush they fought their way out of.
@@mnk9073 They're not going to penetrate the shield, but they stick into it and if your arms is resting very close to the shield the arrow can injure you. It's why the boss is made of steel, you need it to protect your hand from arrows
@@gavaudan2131 Would the points stick through though? Given how even the best bows of those days maxed out at less than 40 kg draw weight (longbows start at 45 kg and go up to 80 kg) I highly doubt they could penetrate the 7 to 10 mm of layered and glued wood covered in leather of the scutum or the whopping 30-40 mm of bronze covered wood of an aspis. Since an Aspis is by design rested against the shoulder and the arm and a scutum is also held very close to the body with your forearm if not your entire arm resting against it most of the time sharp objects on the inside of your shield would render it unwieldable.
And let's keep in mind that the main reason for the boss is to deflect blows and strenghten the shield as a whole, the added hand protection is more of a bonus.
@@mnk9073 I just assumed they would. Now I'm not so sure but I think it's likely even for warbows of that period
@@mnk9073 It's thought that some Scythian bows could have been as heavy as 140 lbs (60 kg). For comparison, the average Mary Rose longbow draw weight is estimated at 110 lbs (50 kg). Clearly, most cultures in the Mediterranean region were using much lower powered bows though. Probably the greater risk to Roman soldiers in this period was from pila and other thrown spears.
Really interesting video, I really enjoyed this
I think you should consider keeping the Latin valediction as part of all your videos, Metatron! It had a very elegant, lyrical ring to it.
Good video ⭐️
Great video
Just for the Latin outro you get my Like and comment. Nice Video!
Nice video, I've always been interested in the Romans and their culture, i even started taking some latin classes because of it!
Now, i know it's been relatively recent since your last historical For Honor tier list, but they've just released new armors that look much more historically practical than the normal, and I'd love to see how you think those armors would change the list.
great vid Ευχαριστώ
10:18 Metatron's explanation makes me appreciate roman military genius more.
The artwork on the shields is quite stunning. Always loved weapons and armor from antiquity.
I love your videos
I love when you speak in your native Italian. Such a beautiful language! Great video!
Awesome Video... Keep going... Could You Please make a Video about, how to make those shilds? That would Be realy interesting... Thanks.
Metatron, I discovered your channel some time ago but just recently I have been working through your presentations. As a history buff, I am impressed with your wealth of knowledge and enjoy your thought process and analysis of historical issues with your goal of truly trying to make our understanding of history accurate. Keep up the good work.
But to the point of this comment, I would love to see you address a possible combat technique, that I once picked up, that the Roman Legions used relating to the use of the Scutum Romanum, the Gladius and the densely packed formation as a weapon system. I am in my 70’s and have been cursed with a memory and have been reading and watching documentaries about history for many years. I am still at times amazed that I can remember a somewhat obscure fact I picked up some 30 to 40 years ago that relates to a fresh topic I am addressing today. My problem is that my filing system of source material is quite lacking. So, I was hoping you could address at some time the issue I am curious about.
Back some time ago I picked up the idea that in the training of a legionary there was a significant amount of time and effort spent in a drill where, in tight formation, the legionary would advance and go through the motion of shoving with the scutum and stabbing with the gladius against some sort of resistance. So basically, the drill was - shove, stab, shove, stab, shove, stab (you get the picture). This drill helped build muscle mass and muscle memory for actual employment of the technique on the battlefield. It seems to make sense and one could imagine the effectiveness of a tightly packed formation of very fit men moving against an enemy setting up a rhythmic shoving motion with the scutum followed by a quick lethal stab by the gladius into any vulnerable spot exposed by the shove. The more effective stab would seem to be coming from the waist and upward rather than shoulder high downward. Your presentation on the scutum and its curvature reminded me of this technique. I was thinking the curvature of the shield would possibly make this technique more effective as opposed to using a flat shield. When impacting a flat surface, the impact is spread out and loses some of its effectiveness. This is why arrows and spears have pointy ends rather than flat points. The curvature of the scutum would tend to focus the impact into a narrower area. This would cause more damage and pain than a flat shield. I am not sure if the one-handed grip on the scutum would help or hinder this technique.
I have tried to find my source but failed and have watched as many as I can find of the CZcams videos on the scutum, gladius, training of legionaries and legion battle techniques, but find that no one has addressed this specific technique.
I hope you read this post and at some point can shed light on whether it was a real thing or not.
Metatron, I was giving more thought to this shove/stab maneuver and I believe the center grip of scutum being horizontal would work if the shoulder and arm is firm against the inside of the shield when shoving. In addition I am more convinced that the curvature of the scutum has a distinct advantage over a flat shield if the maneuver is employed. If you are going to have a powerful uppercut thrust it should end coming from your own center mass. If you try to thrust reaching around the outside edge of your shield, leverage and physics would make its effectiveness quite wimpy. To have powerful thrust you need to unmask the gladius from behind the shield and thrust with the shoulder. With a flat shield to make a thrust coming up from the waist into the opponent using your own weight and your right shoulder you need to bring the shield away from your body and pull it back with your left arm. If you do not pull it back your own shield will actually shield your opponent from your thrust. But with a curved scutum all you need to do is twist the torso about 50 to 60 degrees and you cleanly unmask the sword from your shield. An uppercut thrust from the shoulder gives about a 45 degree twist of the torso when the sword is extended. With the scutum, once the sword has impacted, the mere twisting motion of bringing the gladius back to your side twists you back to your original stance and you are covered quickly with the scutum placing you back into your original defensive position. With a flat shield I believe you would be more exposed for a longer period and due to the angles involved I would think it is easer to get hung up while getting back to your defensive position. If this is how it worked both the gladius and the scutum are being used as offensive weapon.
I hope you can address this. It would be fun to know. Thanks.
Hey Metatron, awesome video as usual! It would be cool if you do a video on Roman gladius scabbard straps. I want to make a carrying strap for my gladius in its scabbard but have no idea where to start lol.
Very interesting video
Very interesting Video
Fashion of roman men could be an idea for a cooperation between you and Kenze Scarlett.
The Roman third rank were typically still armed as Hoplites with spears and formed a Phalanx when they took over the battle.
One element center gripped shields add is the ability to perform more complex formation fighting. Consider the testudo- the overhead and right hand use of the shield on the right flank would make the center grip a necessity to maintain, or even perform at all.
Great video! As always! I would like to add that a centrally gripped shield is probably a bit more flexible in how you can use it in terms of defense and offense in comparison with a strapped shield. For example it's easier to raise it above your head when needed. You can also change hands with very little issue. For the Romans that would be pretty important if a unit wanted to form a testudo for example. Or a to create a higher shield wall by holding one shield above another. And for the offense it's easier to punch with the boss at an opponent if needed. Off course the size of the shield matters aswell, no matter if it has a central grip or is strapped. A smaller shield will always be more nimble than a large one. Another very important factor is how comfortable the shield is to carry when you are not in combat. Every soldier of very era spends far more time on the march or performing some sort of guard duty. With a centrally gripped shield like the scutum you can hold it pretty comfortably while marching. And on guard duty, especially with the rectangular scutum you show here you can rest it easily on the ground yet grab it quickly an be ready to defend when needed. And since it can stand up I can see several other practical reasons aswell in the daily life of a roman soldier. If it's a windy day and you have trouble with your cooking fire you can quickly just place a few of your shields as a wind breaker. They would probaly be useful to create a quick shelter in an emergency aswell.
Do you know if there are any evidence or sources forthe Romans using any sort of longer shield strap to carry the scutum slung over the shoulder or back for example during marches to make life a little bit easier for the soldiers? It seems that such a thing could be quite easily improvised by any legionnaire with a piece of rope or a long leather strap.
I think they carried it in a bag, which hung over their back by some straps, when they were on the march. Sorry, can not remember the source I read this in.
good job!
"With that out of my system, let chat fight to the death"
Thanks, I only wish you talked a little about the round Byzantium shields as well.
Could you make an episode discussing in details roman solider gear? Armor, weapons and other nessesery stuff? Ciao
The other good reason for the curve of the Roman shield, it deflected blows better. Just like sloped armor on tanks.
Interesting bro !
I love the satin finish to your lorica! (What the heck is that goat-fish thing?)
Excellent presentation and it left me with two main questions:What were the materials of construction? what did they weigh?
very beautiful shields you have there, tunica is also very beautiful
I really need in my life an armour review collab between you and Jill Bearup 😂
haha! the pasta resulting in your armor not lying perfectly straight down reminded me of how the bottom button of a vest is purposely left undone [for whatever reason]. :-) so maybe you could have started a fashion trend in ancient times
Never lose the beard brother 👊
As a Game Master, I love your material.
Very informative. I might use this information when I'm drawing my republic legionaires. You mentioned that strap shields is even before the Classical Period (Bronze age), and I'm intrigued if you mean before the Bronze age collapse or after? One other thing, that I'm curious, did Sumerian, Akkadian and Assyrian soldiers had a, somewhat, similar idea of rectangular shields? Because there are some depictions of these peoples, either, fighting in phalanx formation, or standing firm, with rectangular shields. I also noticed your Nesquik cereal box, and it gave me childhood nostalgia. You have good taste :)
yes they used tower shield I advice you to search on google salimbeti body shield this is the best site about bronze age
Anyway, yes they used those shield during 1600 bc to 1100bc and after the collapse.
Good luck reading it its very interesting!
@@parabelluminvicta8380 Thanks :D I'll
Reading the title I thought this video was about why the Romans didn't wear their shields on their shoulders like the Samurai armours's pauldrons.
Two other ideas why they might have curved shields:
1. It might help deflect attacks in the same way a medieval breastplate would.
2. Unless you hit it straight on (which is much harder as it is round) it would also be effectively thicker like sloped armor.
The pilum makes much more sense if we consider the enemies of the Romans using the phalanx formation. How long could a soldier keep hold of his shield in a phalanx with a pilum sticking out the front, pulling his shield down or getting buried into the ground.
I have a similar (worse quality, all purchased on Amazon) kit: scutum, segmentata, centurions galea, caligae, belt.
My scutum is super scaled down (only about 4’ tall, 2’ wide) and so I was able to alter it. The handle was only affixed by some rivets in a horizontal grip. I rotated it 90* and added a belt so that I can wear it. Makes it much easier to hold for extended periods of time
That center grip also makes it easier to hold the shield over your head for the phalanx, as well as in front. They were made of wood and leather and got wet and stuck by spears and sometimes and had to be abandoned easily, which you can't do if it strapped on your arm. Also they would have had a strap to tie it to their back while traveling.
I feel like for military development in these days it is more important to think about what the soldiers DID worry about rather than what they HAD to worry about.
There aren't really statistics about how people got wounded and it's probably pretty difficult to make scientific observations in the midst of battle.
So I would imagine that after some confrontation there was talk about everything that felt threatening in any given situation.
This becomes very important for morale that you feel adequately protected. If you FEEL that something your opponent is doing is threatening you permanently and you have SEEMINGLY little protection against it, it will wear you down in no time.
So when fighting spear and shield formations I can very well imagine this principle of the soldiers wanting to feel completely protected at the side they can't concentrate on. Because thrusts from the side can happen very suddenly and if your shield is blocking a lot of edges of your body due to their curveture, I would FEEL a lot more protected.
Yeah the whole shaving part made me think you were going to transition into a Dollar shave club ad
Added benefit of the center grip. Less surface area of the arm in direct contact with the shield meant less chances of injury when the arrow inevitably pierced the shield through to several inches. Iron boss protects hand.
I think the roman shield is shaped like it is because of roman training and gear.
1. The roman shield can be slid aside to open up a space to attack with the gladius, and because it's an arc (when looking at it from above) when you slide it aside it won't interfere with your buddy that's right next to you. With a flat shield there is a greater chance that something will interfere with that movement. And perhaps give your opponent a gap.
2. As it's not strapped to the soldier it's easier to utilize as something other than your personal shield. It can be put down and rested on the ground to close the gap around your feet, and it can be used to interlock with the shield of the guy ahead of you to form an even more protective wall if you're under missile fire (for example if your opponent is using slings, javelins and arrows).
3. By using a shield with a large boss grip it's ideal against enemies using roman gear. If you're using a strapped shield there is no way to hold the shield far enough away from your body to prevent a pila from slamming into your shield and piercing the body behind it. But with a large boss protecting the hand and arm and the shield held away from the body (and possibly resting on the ground) you're much better protected from that kind of attack. Then, if there are a bunch of pila sticking to (and weighing down) your shield you can dump it (much easier than if it was strapped) and move back in formation. Possibly when the formation moves forward again you can get that shield back and get those pila out while in the relative safety of the rear of the formation (as a man with a fresh and undamaged shield takes your place).
The description appears to be missing the link to the video you refer to at 9:40
The Greek rounded shield reflected the fact most combat by the hoplites was with the spear. The Romans with the rectangular shield fought mainly with the sword. The curved shield deflected sword blows more effectively. Finally the curved shield allowed greater tactical flexibility by use of the Tortoise etc.
I love this guy speaking in latin.
You know you are a Metatron Veteran when you don't speak Italian but you know exactly what he said at the end!
That was Latin but yes :)
@@metatronyt Well, Italian is just colloquial Latin. ;P
All my years of studying Asterix and Obelix have misled me. The Gauls fought in phalanxes? You'll be telling me they had no magic potion next!
The phalanx makes sense in open field warfare, but Gaul has forests and hilly country so guerilla tactics MAKE SENSE and a dozen bottles of magic potion marked "XXX-Xtra strength formulix"
Fun thing: according to Google translage, "lorica segmentata" means "coat frilly"... That should be the real reason for those shields: the Romans where ashamed of their clothing, and tried to hide it. XD
Don't forget to mention the biggest thing, they were primarily fighting light infantry/cavalry. If you're fighting light infantry/cavalry, all you need is to get next to them and poke them with your shiny stick, so having a massive shield that closes off most of your attack angles isn't that disadvantageous in a group combat setting.
Texas ❤ you! We are a fighting state and love your channel
Thanks! TX Is awesome
hey metatron, how do u feel about doing a video on Hellish Quart!
gallic shields are some of the most interesting and pretty shields ive ever seen and some of them were strapped