Round shield

Round shield, front view, interior view, cross section

A round shield is a type of shield .

definition

Round shields are shields built for military operations that have no corners. However, they do not necessarily have to be circular, but can also be oval.

use

The round shield is distinguished from other shields primarily by its handiness. The lack of corners also made it more stable, but reduced the protection area. The round shield was widespread on warships, e.g. B. on Roman warships ( triremes ) and also on Viking ships . On ships, the railing was equipped with these shields so that the crew could hide behind it from the enemy and was also protected from splashing water.

history

Two round shields from the 3rd century from the Thorsberger Moor

Antiquity

The oldest historically documented round shield is the Hoplon used by the hoplites . He was already in the 7th century BC. Used in ancient Greece . Other Greek forms of the round shield were the Thureos and the Clipeus .

A little later, in the 5th century BC. A round shield, the so-called Caetra , was also used on the Iberian Peninsula .

The most common round shield in ancient times was the Roman Parma equestris . This oval, man-high shield was mainly used by Roman auxiliary troops.

middle Ages

The most famous round shields of the Middle Ages are probably the brightly painted round shields of the Vikings , which also played a not insignificant role in shipping. But the Moors , who fought battles in Spain in the Middle Ages, also used an iron round shield, the so-called Adarga .

Modern times

In modern times, shields largely lost their military importance due to the widespread use of firearms . However, some round shields remained in use even in the Renaissance , e.g. B. the slightly curved rotella . In India, the Sipar round shield remained in use until the early 19th century.

literature

• Peter Connolly , The Greek Armies , Tesslofverlag, 1981, ISBN 978-3-7886-0181-2 .
• Peter Connolly : The Roman Army , Tessloff-Verlag, ISBN 3-7886-0180-9 .
• George Cameron Stone, Donald J. LaRocca, A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor: in All Countries and in All Times , Courier Dover Publications, 1999, page 554, ISBN 978-0-486-40726- 5 .

Web links

Commons : Rundschild  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Peter Connolly : The Roman Army , Tessloff-Verlag, ISBN 3-7886-0180-9 , chapter: "Weapons and equipment"
2. ↑ Peter Connolly , The Greek Army , Tesslofverlag, 1981, ISBN 978-3-7886-0181-2 , chapter: The Phalanx : Page 27 f.