Thureos
The thureos was a Greek, oval shield .
description
This oval shield was made of wood and covered with leather. In some variations the Thureos was almost rectangular. The shield boss was centered and made of iron and outwardly provided with spikes. The edges of the Thureos were reinforced with bronze or iron, which made it easier to repel sword blows. The shield was provided with a leather strap, which was very useful when marching. The Thureos was a little heavier than the Pelte and was mainly used by heavy infantry. The characters of the army were painted on the shield with paints.
history
The origin of this shield shape is in Thrace . It spread in the 3rd century BC. BC throughout Greece and existed parallel to the Pelte. There were thus three main types of Greek shields in ancient Greece: the Thureos, the Pelte and the Hoplon . The Thureos lasted until the Romans arrived in Greece.
literature
- Peter Connolly , The Greek Armies. Tesslofverlag, Hamburg 1981, ISBN 3-7886-0181-7 , chapter: The Phalanx : Page 27 f.
