Defend Yourself--Roman style

 If you fought in a Roman legion, what protected you? 

It was called a scutum in Latin. Early ones in the regnal period up until the early Republic were known as the clipeus and were round. Sometime in the 4th century BC, an oval, oblong-shaped shield was developed and that became the first scutum. By the 1st century AD or even the late Republic, these shields took on the shape that most "HollyRome" movies portray--curved and rectangular. That being said, cavalrymen like my protagonist, Marcus Antonius in Antonius: Son of Rome, would have wielded lighter, circular shields, known as the parma.

Scuta were made of layers of wood that were carefully glued. The wood was then covered with leather and topped with canvas which was brightly painted. We know this, since a phenomenal artifact was found intact in Syria, known as the Dura Scutum. (see photo at upper right) Looking at the photo, it's easy to see where the metal boss would have been--in the dead center. Bosses were probably made of either iron or bronze and were especially useful when the scutum was used as an offensive weapon. Each shield had a light, smoothly sanded wooden grip behind the boss and legionaries sometimes used sheepskin to further protect their hands during combat. Stats for the Dura Europos scutum ​were 41.5 inches long, 16 inches wide, and about a foot deep, in the curvature. And how much did this extremely necessary piece of equipment weigh? It was surprisingly light for its size: about twenty-two pounds. And it's jaw-droppingly beautiful! Shields decorated like this must have been an impressive sight, with thousands of men marching with them.

So what else protected you, besides your shield, armor, helmet, gladius, and pilum? 

Numbers protected you! The movie Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe very accurately showed the necessity of legionaries depending on one another for maneuvers, protection, and morale. In one of the more memorable scenes, supposedly in the Roman Colosseum, Maximus shouts to his men, "As one!" Indeed, that's how a legion fought: AS ONE--and I'd bet my life that the best soldiers in today's modern age are trained to rely on one another, too. Scuta could be used either as a defensive or offensive weapon. In a scene from Antonius: Second in Command, Marcus uses his parma shield offensively:
 
"As he cantered past a thicket, focusing on what was happening ahead of him, his horse shied at the sound of snapping branches He could barely think before two Britons on foot erupted out of the dense green foliage. Spooked and panicked, Marcus's horse squealed and feinted sideways, nearly pitching him into one of his enemy's arms. Legs burning, he clamped his calves around his frightened animal to stay on. His right hand frantically grasped his horse's mane in an attempt to right himself. Simultaneously, his left arm pummeled his shield hard atop one of the Britons' heads, and the man's skull crunched..."
                                                                   from Antonius: Second in Command by Brook Allen

At other times, generals like Marcus Antonius used a widely known maneuver called the testudo (tortoise formation). In my upcoming book Antonius: Legend, this formation is a tactic used against the Parthians and Marcus's men would have died without it. "As one" again, legionaries would create a tortoise-shell out of their scuta; those in front and on the ends of their unit forming a shield wall. Men inside the formation lifted their scuta above their heads. There were times in Parthia when Antonius's men literally marched like this all day long. Ugh! But it saved lives (and probably built biceps, too!). At other times, during stationary combat, men in front would actually kneel.

Since I'm an author and words fascinate me, I thought I'd share one last fun fact. Years ago, I worked as a naturalist in Everglades National Park. I was around alligators all day long and the wildlife there fascinated me. Coincidenatlly, the boney ridges along the backs of alligators and crocodiles  are called "scutes". It wasn't until I starte studying Roman History in depth that I realized from where this word was derived. 

Read on, wash your hands, and if you have ideas for my blogs, let me know! I love hearing from you. 

The re-enactor's shield below shows a scutum complete with its boss. How would you like that ​mercilessly shoved in your face? 

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