Pavese
A (large) Pavese (ital .: after the city of Pavia ; Boffese, Setztartsche, professionally set shield ) was a large rectangular wooden sign , which in the Middle Ages, mostly in sieges the crossbowmen and archers served as cover.
construction
The large Pavese, a long shield, was usually as high as a man (sometimes up to 2 m high) and 1 m wide. It consisted of glued light wood slats, which were often covered with leather or fabric and made waterproof with varnish or paint. At the upper end of the Pavese there were sometimes loopholes through which the well-protected shooter could shoot at the enemy. With iron spikes attached to the lower end, they could be anchored in the ground.
Despite its fragility, the Pavese was excellent protection against enemy arrows , as it yielded on impact and was so difficult to pierce. The Pavese was often used during sieges.
See also
Footnotes
- ^ Karl-Heinz Ludwig, Volker Schmidtchen : Metals and power. 1000 to 1600 (= Propylaea History of Technology , Vol. 2). Propylaeen, Berlin 1992, ISBN 3-549-05231-6 , chapter weapons and military equipment for attack and defense , pp. 183–193, here p. 187.
