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The shield boss was not used only by the Roman. Many other peoples also used it. The purpose of the boss to deflect blows from the centre of round shields. It also provided a place to mount the shield's grip. With the introduction of the scutum (a convex, rectangular shield) leather straps were attached to the grip. The boss also made the shield a punching weapon as well. A punching motion towards an oncoming blow could be made and the boss provided a sharp pointed end which could act as a min spear. The bosses of the roman scutum were made of thick metal.
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What is the middle of a roman shield called?
The 'boss' or 'umbo' in the center of the Roman scutum was used as an auxiliary punching weapon.
What do the symbols mean on a roman shield?
If you mean the design of the shield, it was updated with the times. The early armies used roundish or oval shields, then changed to the rectangular shield, which in turn gave way to the rectangular curved shield. With this curved shield a man could step into his shield to use it for pushing and it also protected his sides to an extent. If you mean any design on the outside of the shield, it was the emblem of the legion, if it was there at all. Most Roman shields are believed to have been unadorned, despite what Hollywood tells you.
What did Romans do with shields?
In the course of a battle military shields were essential. They protected the soldier from arrows and javelins. In close hand to hand combat they were used to block the enemy's sword or dagger. The size and shape of Roman legion shields changed from time to time, based on the fact that the history of Roman warfare stretched out almost 1,000 years.
How did the Romans make their shields?
The Roman shield was made of three layers of strips of wood glued together. The back and front strips were vertical and the middle strips were horizontal. The wood core was estimated to be about 2 inches thick. There was a horizontal handgrip. The back and front of the shield were covered in leather and reinforcing leather pieces were stitched on the corners and edges. This leather stitching on the edges and corners replaced the earlier brass binding which was too easily damaged. Along with the shield went a leather shield cover used on the march or whenever the shield was not needed. The man's name and unit were marked on the inside and the outside was many times decorated with the legion's insignia.
How heavy were the roman shields?
The Romans had three types of shield over their history.From the 6th century BC to the 4th century BC the Romans used the clipeus, which was a small round shield which was carried on the arm. It was then replaced by the parma and the scutumThe parma was a round shield which was a yard of less across and was made of metal, making it very effective. It was used by the light infantry in the Early- and Mid- Republic. It was scrapped when the light infantry was also scrapped and all legionaries used the same weapons and equipment, thus getting replaced by the scutum which was previously the shield of the heavy infantry.The scutum which was originally oval and curved and was made of two sheets or strips of bentwood glued together to make a convex curve to deflect javelins and blows. They were covered with canvas and hide and the edges were bound in rawhide or iron. Later the scutum changed in shape and became rectangular. As they were also curved, they formed a semi-cylinder. They had a round boss of bronze, brass of iron at the centre. The best surviving example has been found in Syria. It is 1.06 metre (42 in) high, a distance around the curve of 0.86 metre (34 in) which made its width, a depth of 66 centimetres (26 in) a thickness of 5-6 millimetres and weighs 10 kilos (22 pounds). The rectangular version of the scutum remained the shield of the Roman soldiers for the rest of Roman history.
