Parma (weapon)

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Reconstruction of a Roman rider with Parma

The Parma was a shield that was mainly used by the auxiliary forces in ancient Rome .

description

In contrast to the scutum , the shield of a legionnaire in the army , a Parma was not curved, but flat and round or oval in shape. In the republican times the parma was worn by the lightly armed velites , in the imperial times by the members of the auxiliary troops . In addition, the Parma was used by the cavalry. The small shield of the Thraex , a genus of gladiators , was also called Parma.

literature

  • Dagmar Hüpper-Dröge, Schild und Speer: Weapons and their designations in the early Middle Ages , Verlag P. Lang, 1983, ISBN 978-3-8204-7596-8