The Roman Shield - Scutum Romanum
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- čas přidán 18. 08. 2015
- A historical detailed discussion about the evolution of the Roman shield starting with the Kingdom of Rome, moving to the Republic untill the Empire.
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intro ES_Knights Templar 1 - Johannes Bornlöf
intro 2 ES_Medieval Adventure 01 - Johannes Bornlöf
outro ES_Knights Templar 2 - Johannes Bornlöf
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So now if the world goes to shit we can raid the nearest museums for weapons and fight like Romans.
Oliver Cromwell Did Nothing Wrong
I’m not muscled to handle it.
Even if the weapons still could.
Let’s go at ‘im with a pointed stick!
Oliver Cromwell Did Nothing Wrong so kind of like the legion from fallout new Vegas ?
@@thegardenofesim1174 Ballistic shield with a submachine gun would be more effective
Cromwell was great.
Apparently, you have no idea how long it takes to learn to use these tools.
Oh i never knew the Roman Shields had horizontal grip!
Thanks alot bro and keep up the good work!
+Nr One Chilean Thank you for watching and I am glad I was helpful ^^
+Metatron isn't the roman shield too heavy to be held with on grip?
+Metatron Are you sure that the scutum was 10 kg? That's almost triple the weight of a viking period shield that has multiple layers of linen.
Saif Ali Khan they were trained
Weeeena quliao... Un compatriota tan lejos .
If you count in the medieval era, Rome lasted for about 2200 years.
but we dont.
+Demon from the Mud We do but when we say roman history we usually talk about the ancient side of history.
So we don't.
also geographically
the byzantines obviously were Roman and should also count as that so yes they did last that long. and no they didn't just become non Roman because they changed there way of doing things
Success is great indicator of equipment practicality.
What I've always found Fascinating about the roman empire is that it's not Like the Empire of Alexander or Attila the Hun, which grew very large very quickly but collapsed as soon as their founders died.
Over time Rome went from a small Etruscan-influenced city-state into a republic that beat Carthage, and then became a vast empire.
And although many people say that the roman Empire lasted for a thousand years, in fact it lasted for ~2000 years, since it's eastern half still called themselves the roman empire up until the fall of constantinople in 1453.
The romans weren't the great inventors we used to think they were, but rather the great evolvers. Gradually adopting the inventions of others and perfecting them.
First they adopted the scutum from their neighbours, then they adopted the mail armor and helmets of the celts, then the gladius of hispania, the inventions and arts of the greeks, and they perfected them all.
They were a really fascinating people, adopting useful things and unifying peoples, which is precisely what other cultures of the time avoided.
To add to what you said. They adopted and evolved the Spanish gladius and Spanish pilum for themselves also. They did invent Lorica Segmentata armor themselves though.
Holy pasta of perdition, you're right. I just read this comment and it made me think about... Tamriel. The Elder Scrolls. The Imperials are stated as being the best at getting along with the other races, hence their ability to unify them without bloody conquest. And... I just realized, from reading your comment here, just how much of that Bethesda derived from history. Not just the basic appearance, but the whole "adopt and unify" thing.
@@Archone666 I'm pretty sure all of the human empires were created through bloodshed, bro.
@@apalsnerg every nation we know today was created in war and blood.
It's not beautiful, but it's how the world works.
@@thesenate5913 While I agree with you, what the fuck does that have to do with The Elder Scrolls?
Am I the only one who noticed the elven sword from lord of the rings on the background?
No
You are the only one
I saw that too, massive fan of lord of the rings 😀 typical kiwi haha
@@thelonelyelite1 no I also noticed that
12:42 The boss of the shield (Umbo) is not meant to protect your hand, even though it may appear obvious. Its sole purpose is to make shield more maneuverable when you get your hand "inside" the shield and get a better grip with shallower handle. It is reinforced because it would be a real bummer if the "Umbo" became detached during a battle.
When I'd heard how the legionaries held their shields I was surprised but ok how hard could it be? Well very hard actually, I started to pretend to hold one, moving it around and fighting a screeching screaming drunk barbarian and it began to make sense but it wasn't something that just "came to me" naturally, I can see why you'd want your guys to have LOTS of training where they reacted automatically to what the German line was trying to do. Imagine holding a big shield, walking forward to the cadance, throwing pilum, then charging with your mates and smashing into the barbarians then forming up into their lines at that point...training and automatic discipline must have been very important, after all the empire spent a lot of money on you and don't want their property wasted by doing stupid barbarian type maneuvers that would get them killed. Smart soldiers were winning soldiers as long as they had the training to back them up I guess.
Awesome latin at the beginning! I love the video!
+Lupyrius Thank you very much, I am glad you do :D
You give a lot of useful information in this tutorial. I always wanted to know how the shield was used and you answered that question. Thanks for sharing this.
Once more a very informative and enjoyable video, I never get tired of your stuff!
You deserve way more views.. Your channel is great. You make history entertaining. Thank you!
another great vid man, can't wait for you the next.
+kevin rodriguez Thanks Kevin :D
These videos are fantastic. The fact that he makes it a point to pronounce, not only in Ecclesiastical Latin, but in ancient Latin is fantastic.
I higly appriciated your effort to do researches and your serious attitude toward historical subject. Your presentation have detoxicated my brain from film and game. Once again, thank you
Nice video. I am still excited to see that many illustrations of roman legionaires still come from the legendary book of Peter Connolly, "The Roman Army". which I own since my childhood days in the seventies. Furthermore I had to laugh when you showed the illustrations with german annotations..
Love your channel, mate. Much better than most history channels on tv.
+Ted Striker Well thank you very much for that kind sir ^^
8:17 the width 10 cm ?!!!?? Propably 10mm maybe a small mistake
Keep up the work
Love your calm and logical demeanor!
Great vid, thank you.
Would love to see a vid of what is known of the markings on the shield. No one has done anything on that yet
:) this channel is great
+b33lze6u6 ahah thanks you so much :D
Metatron 10 cm thick (at 8:16)? Are you sure? Just the material or does that include the curvature (measured from the top middle)? It just seems immensely thick and that would make it very heavy.
I have double checked that mesurement and I have read it on a relieble article but I will see if I can see other refering to it, like university professors and such.
I ment the thicknes of all the layers but you have to consider it's not just wood, it's three layers of wood, one of linen and one of leather plus painting. Also I have to double check they didn't mean the part which includes the metal, or even the umbo I'll let you know.
Metatron I did a bit of research myself and the thickest I could find was 16 mm, with a range from 12 to those 16. I'm not disputing your sources or your knowledge of the subject but I did take out my measuring tape and it really seems humongous!
Anyway, great video as always, dude!
HeavyMetalDude26 ok thank you very interesting ^^ No it's good you tell me that because it helpm me double and triple check sources and learn more :3 As I always say " for all you learn from me I learn twice as much from you guys in the comments :D"
AWESOME VIDEO!!! Thank you, my friend. Congrats from Brazil 🇧🇷👊🏼🥋
this is an excellent video thanks for making it
I really enjoyed this video thanks.
My question is, where did you get that armor In the background
@12:50, The reinforcement is all around the shield because if you are in combat and the top part takes a lot of damage and now the attacks can come through, you flip it over and use the bottom part because it has less damage, so the shield has no top or bottom part.
Absolutely love the history! And love your explanations, consider yourself subbed :)
Well first of all many thanks to you. I really like the channel, specially the roman theme. Not much stuff of such quality is available on CZcams. Keep up the good work.
I actually have a clarification about the shield. Or rather about the picture on the shield.
I've read Stephen Dando-Collins - Legions of Rome. And he discusses this most famous logo we always see on roman shields as depicted in pop-culture - wings and lightning bolts.
He says that in fact the use of wings on the regimental logo was almost unique to praetorian guard. And these troops were not supposed to be present on a regular battlefield. The reason why this emblem of wings and lightning bolts got so popular nowadays is because this logo is depicted on legionary shields on Trajan's column. And the reason it is depicted there is because the column was made in Rome by greek artists who had no idea about roman army and legionary emblems. They were told to depict battles and legionaries and they used what soldiers were available as their models which happened to be praetorians stationed in Rome.
So while this logo of wings and lightning bolts is historically accurate for certain praetorian cohorts it would be much better to depict legionary shields with more common emblems. For example a bull would be appropriate for most legions drafted in Spain and a boar would be common for legions from Gaul.
I am no historian myself and if anyone can correct me here - please do that. But I'm sort of tired of seeing the same wings and bolts everywhere anybody wants to depict a legionary when there was a whole bunch of other cool logos.
With your hair down like that, I feel like Jesus is telling me about the Romans.
The alt timeline where Jesus lives on as a historian talking about his roman friend's shield.
Please bring more about the 3-4 different periods of Rome (I include the Byzantine empire). At school I only learned of the Imperum Romanum and have only very little idea about what was before or after.
+edi Ok I will :D Roman history is fascinating and all it's periods have so much to say ^^
awesome video. I wish I was as smart as these roman you tube lecture guys. tons of fun.
Suggest a good website to buy an Scutum? It is more for display than LARP.
Wow! Always thought the grip was like the normal vertical grip you see in medieval shields......thankyou
So amazing that roman history is so well preserved.
Great video, made me watch almost every other Roman era video you made. Very informative and put together very well. I have a question tho: What size is your Scutum? I ordered a one with a height 36"(92cm), but I am not sure if that is a correct size at all and if I should switch to a 42 inch(107cm) instead. Please help me out. Thanks.
I like the use of the proper language. Well done sir.
Great video
Love this channel, great work, keep it up!
Also, from where did you purchase your Roman segmented armor, Scutum, and your Gladius?
its just a wild guess, but possibly from here:
4 years ago your comment, but maybe i still could helped you out.
facebook.com/FabricaCacti/
Are there any kind of organizations, associations, etc. that keep these old Roman legion traditions alive to this day? For instance, Sweden's line infantry during the 1600s and 1700s have become legendary as well, the Carolean Army, or Karolinska hären in Swedish, and there are associations that keep the Caroleans alive; we have, for example, sällskapet Smålands Karoliner, that display formations, battle tactics, musket fire, etc.
Then we have schools in Japan, that still offer traditional training offered to the Samurai and Ninja - but how about the legendary Roman army?
You are seeing it. Metatron is an institution himself.
Salve! congratulations for your channel! i see your videos always! only one thing, the rays in the legionary scutum are an error, the rays are from the pretorian scutum, but the trajan column was made by craftsman greeks, and the model for the column was the pretorian scutum, for this reason, in the trajan column appear the rays, but in reality, the scutum didnt have rays. I follow you from Spain jeje
The average Roman soldier was 170cm, I was wondering what your height was as being significantly taller would make the shield less protective and more difficult to wield.
+jaocheu I am 176cm so I am not too much taller than that I suppose ^^
Hi Metatron, nice video. Just thought I'd mention that you can improve your English slightly by dropping the S from "informations". "Information" doesn't get pluralised in English because it is a mass noun that treats any quantity as a single unit rather than a number of discreet measured units. If you feel the need to use a plural "data" is the pluralised form of "datum" and can in most cases be used as a synonym for "information". It can be pluralised because it is a count noun that refers to discreet units of information, just like "fact" and "facts".
+lancer D Hey there, thank you very much. In Theory I know that rule, but I always end up forgetting it when I am in front of a camera. Thank you for reminding me, I will keep it in mind next time ;)
Metatron No worries, I know English is hard, and yours is really, really good. The only errors you make are very tiny things like that that don't prevent you from being understood at all, they just act as a clue that you aren't a native speaker. Your English is more than good enough, and I normally wouldn't think it was worth mentioning, but I figured that as a linguist you'd probably be interested in stuff like that, so don't worry about it too much, just keep making awesome videos.
lancer D ahah ok thank you so much I appreciate ^^
yes .. i enjoyed the free university lecture as well .....
I have a question for you metatron how did you get your scutum and so you know where i can get one
Great video,I would like to see more about the use of shield in battle and formation. Also can you make a video about Byzantine empire ??
That video was informative and inspiring. After watching it i play rome 2 tw. :)
+Veltins Pilz ahahah it happens to me to sometimes xD
Question! Ok, on those leather tassles (for lack of a better word) hanging over the groin & waist; are the studs acting as rivets for a metal backing behind the leather or are they simply there as decorative weights to keep the strips hanging neatly? I have always wondered about this. Never having examined historical armor first hand, i nevertheless tend to think that in what is often portrayed as "studded leather" the "studs" must be serving as rivets for metal plates behind the outer, visible layer. Because of themselves, such studs are completely useless as armor, & just add more weight with no functionality.
Thanks for the measurements!
Going to make my own out of plywood, 2 or more layers.
Does anyone know what the curvature was?
+Eska Quassi i think he said 10 cm deep
I remember 17 cmif i remember good from polibius description
You have a very beautiful sword behind you, at the top. I'm curious if it's just a wall-hanger or an actual blade.
What is difference between horisontal and vertical grip?
So for d&d 3.5e would the Scutum be a heavy steel shield or a tower shield or maybe a heavy wooden shield?
Hi, I would like clarification on the composition of Roman shields: were they composed of several layers of wood glued to increase resistance (and if so in what way?) or for cost reasons?
Is there a forum for this kind of gear?
Hi Metatron,
Great video's! but are you sure they where 10cm thick?? tha's really thick.. seems to be so heavy.
great video and good history,I like your taste of collection and history.I bet you plat Rome II and Western Rome in Atilla...
Hey Metatron, do you know where I can find a Roman Scutum replica for sale? Most of my collection are from Museum Replicas, and they for some baffling reason, sell only a "Wooden Oval Roman Shield" that doesnt have the Iconic look and style Im looking for.
Can you make a video talking about the Roman cavalry shield, like cetratus????
is that a toga, if so where did you get it
In surprised it didn't have a forearm strap. I figured a massive shield like that would have need of more leverage.
Out of curiosity , where did you buy your Scutum?
Hi metatron, arte you italian? Cause your latin is pretty good, gotta admit it
Marco Bressan Yes, he is indeed.
He is
He is. From Sicily I guess...
He's like the archetype of a southern Mediterranean Italian.
thank you
Where did you purchse this shield?
Im feeling curious about the way they hold the shield, the way you show in the video is quite efficient for marching, but for actual fighting it wont be easier to carry it whit your palm turn up? I find that way easier to lift the weight and make movements, of course I dont have any historical base to say this, is just speculation.
Mate, at the end, you hold the shield with supinus grip (Palms away), which is cumbersome if you want to lift it up. But, would the Roman soldiers had use a prone grip (Palms in) when engaging in combat?
Bent shields are harder to turn for the enemy too. A flat surface can be jabbed with a spear near the edge of the shield, pivoting it and exposing the user
like angling armor on a tank, more likely to richochet.
I'm building a scutum myself, does anyone know where I can get the metal edge?
how heavy 10 cm thick shield would be?
How long did it take the Romans to make this shield? I have a project to do and this is one of the questions that needs to be answered. It would be great if someone replied
Something so simple as romans putting their shileds inside a leather bag to protect them during campaign i never knew. Thats why i like your videos i learn something new on each of them thanks lol. Btw you play Total war Attila? Do you like it
+Swol BrohamLincoln Hey there good to see you again in the comments :D I play total war but only Rome and Napoleon is Attila good? :)
Metatron oh yea man yo should definately buy it playing as Western Roman empire has to be the hardest campaign i ever played in a total war game lol
how did they bend it?
I love the ending 🥰
Great video! I love the Latin intro. Q. Did Romans have a yellow bull on a red field as their sigil at any point?
+Alex Newson Hey there thanks for watching :D I haven't heard about it but it could just be me, I will have a look.
Many Cesarean legions used a bull as insignia as it was his official symbol
How were they manufactured
Can anyone explain where the Imperial style decoration (red with simplistic yellow symbols, that almost all modern replicas use) comes from? The only surviving rectangular scutum that I can find (Duro Europos), is much more intricately decorated with multicoloured spiral patterns and detailed animal / angel images. How do we know the simplistic style was the norm?
awesome !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
+MartinK2011 Thank you :D
Don’t u think u should hold it the other way up??
Have we got any engravings of them holding the shield that way up?
I’m sure I’ve seen one somewhere of it being held palm up, it’s so much stronger
How did the Roman soldiers move from the front line to the back line to rest during a battle, that is assuming they did? Do you know?
Q. Is it possible, that they stabbed towards the enemy who was directly attacking the man to your right? I read that this tactic was later tried by the English troops, using bayonets against the Scots, in an attempt to get around their shields.
I really enjoyed this video for that matter I enjoyed pretty much all of your videos that I've seen. I however I do have a question. Before there was CZcams Google and the internet for that matter I tried to read as much as I could about moment history in library books. One thing I've told about the shield if that it was made with three layers of plywood. The other thing is I read that not all but some of the shields on the inside at the top had some kind of hook bracket. This allowed other Shiels to be stacked like shingles or scales. The Romans would test this by having soldiers form a ramp that a horse draw carriage ride up it.
This was in and old book and the illustration we're not very detail.
I remember visiting Rome as a teenager other than seeing the Coliseum I was not able to find any artifacts displayed anywhere. I was hoping to visit in museum displaying weapons and stuff. That did not happen and I was disappointed.
Kind regards!
Luigi
A very interesting channel with lots and lots of good information for historical buffs like me! Cudos to the Metatron!
The one thing I do reflect though regarding the comments is how much they discuss how a 1v1 combat situation would be with a roman soldier when the armour and weapons were made for melee or regular army battle. The equipment reflects on the nature of fighting side by side with your cohort, not Hollywood-style mano a mano after marching up to the enemy in nice orderly formations. Doesn't matter if they met Gallic, Brittanic or Germanic warriors. The problem with the warrior culture was that they propagated the heroism of the single warrior, not the group. The training and mindset were to get as much honor as possible on the battlefield for yourself(and, in the long run, your tribe/clan/insert equivalent here). Romans did away with that(not the first, but one of the most successful) and worked to have discipline, the chain of order and act as one as the prime mindset for the single roman soldier. Consequently, a single roman soldier didn't have much chance against a warrior or gladiator, who both trained 1v1 combat, but put him in a cohort, and properly led, he would stand victorious by the end of the day, come melee or battle.
Why did this kind of shield fall out of favor? I mean, we mostly see it used by roman legionnaires. Was it because of the complicated production and the use in disciplined battle formations?
Very interesting info about scutum. Metatron, you know something about enemies of Rome weapons who manage to make changes on Roman defensive weapons? Like for example Dacian weapon for melee caled SICA or his bigger sister FALX . By the way the Romans used for scutum...plywood.
Good video, but I am skeptical on a couple of things. I find the scutum I made is much more controllable with a strap for the upper forum parallel to the grip. I can still check and hit with it, and the top won't flap around. I haven't been able to find source period artwork showing the inside of the shield or showing somebody being hit in the face with one with the arm outstretched like I have seen some modern actors use. The closest thing I found was one gladiator with a smaller shield lifting it up, but the shield still went over his upper arm and he might have used it un an uppercut with the bottom rim. If you know of any source period artwork that contradicts me on this, I would love to see it. Also, being curved the way it was and being held at the side of the body allows good function of the sword arm particularly for slashing. Despite Vegetius' claims Roman legionares strictly stabbed, he is not necessarily 100% reliable, I think there are accounts of legionaries slashing at the unarmored back legs. The shield gives good facilitation of that movement. Just thought it would be fun for discussion
u have to know that in a battle with people in formation u cant move so freely to slash and when there is a shield wall in front of u i cant see how can you slash when the shield of the other person is covering him pretty well showing off only his knees and the head with the neck back in the days the most unprotected places of someone are knees neck and little lower under the stomach area if you know what i mean these places were the most unprotected with armor places so there is no point of slashing hitting the armor and doing no damage just making your mates feel unprotected from all the moves you are doing in a 1 on 1 fight there is bigger chance of slashing and still in a formation ....i dont think so
Ivan Petrov That's just it, a Roman Legion wasn't meant to go face to face, they were about maximizing speed in formation to outflank. They were not as jam-packed together like a phalanx or a shield/spear wall in general was. They might not be far enough apart for huge slashes, they probably did have to go face to face fighting and I'm sure their were times stabbing would be a very good thing. But you have to look at each phase of the Roman Republic or Empire at it's own time and be analytical of all the evidence, not taking anyone's word for it. The only surviving rectangular roman shield is narrower and more curved, almost identical in geometry to Trajan's column, and they are holding it completely differently.
Ivan Petrov I will correct myself on the grip, sort of. In earlier mentioned surviving antique, The piece of wood that is pegged in to the shield as a grip has the sides where it is pegged narrower then the actual grip. The grip is at/inside the threshold of where the wood of the shield would have been if it were not removed. I did this to my shield and it tilts the weight of the top of the shield towards me with the weight consistently on my shoulder as apposed to my arm and wrist and gives me a very comfortable placement on the body as they do in Trajan's column.
Why did the shield design change from being the classic large rectangular curved style to oval round style in the very late Roman empire period?
I don't know if you know of Carl Sagan but your real good with your teaching.
How would they put the curve in the shield?
Steam?
My understanding is that the Scutum was also used as a counter attacking offensive weapon: punching the boss into the face of an enemy in the press to gain distance to execute a gladiator strike or a line rotation, for example. Also the metal lining at the bottom of the shield could be used against the feet and shins of an enemy if opportunity presented. Similarly an enemy that had been felled but was still very much alive could be dispatched by dropping the bottom of the shield onto their throat as the line rolled over the enemy front. It was a nasty piece of kit.
More!!
Also, what is your opinion on shield effectiveness - was the Republican scutum’s shape more effective than the Imperial scutum’s shape? Looking at Deepeeka scutums ,the Imperial scutum is substantially lighter - 5.5Kg - than the Republican form at 8Kg +.
Bro the scutum was only on average 3 kilograms
What is that helmet ?
thanks
Why do you change my phone's login image?
Is the size of the shild compared to the legionaries correct? The scutum was about 120-130cm, the common man was about 150cm. So the scutum covered almost the complete man (leaving 15cm up and down).
In reenactment today, this should be adjusted, as the lorica is adjusted for obvious reasons.
How many cows and bulls had to give their all to supply all the leather for shoes ,boots , shield covers and tents , for the army ?
You are like a wizard with your hands
According to some sources linden wood and poplar were the same wood with poplar being another name for linden and vice versa. You forget to mention the turtle (Testudo) formation if there were archers or slingers involved in the battles.
Salvē, Metatron. I am looking to create a group of Roman Legionaries in Australia. I cannot find anything about how to make a Scutum, only cardboard or other low quality designs for use in LARP. I have followed you for a while and in fact you're the reason I wanted to do this. I was hoping you would be able to make a video on the process of making an Imperium Romanum era scutum. Thank you for taking the time to read this, if indeed you did. I look forward to hearing back from you.
Did you find a way yet?
@@captainsandwhich7469 I'm afraid I have not yet.. I have formed a group of Latin speaking Australians though :) and a few of us are also learning wood working to learn how the shields are made.
@@serpentofares5635 Nice :)
@@serpentofares5635 how about online medieval stores?
@@captainsandwhich7469 mediaeval? Well Byzantium is pretty cool
A Rome total war mod made me curious, did Rome ever have heavier troops that had an armored sword arm like the murmilo(?) gladiator class and grieves?
yes. some roman legionnaires got those segmented arm parts for their sword arms. i imagine they bought it with their own money though. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manica_(armguard)
it seems they would have needed other handles and anchor points on the Scutum ... than just that one center handle ???
So the scutum is basically a portable wall that you just plant in front of you and heave around if needed.