You ignore the seven-layered bronze shields from the Iliad - which had a wooden backing. I believe most of Homer's equipment has archaeological support, even if not always from the same century.
Paul MacLean Anderson
pmanderson_at_...
pmaclanderson_at_...
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Jane Williams wrote:
>
> > No, I think this was another brainphart.
> > Personally, I'd quietly delete that particular sentence.
Yes, well: there are reasons some of us are still running RQ...
>> > > (BTW, I'd suggest thinking through the idea of an iron or indeed
> > > bronze
> > > *shield* very carefully. There's a good reason why they're
> > rare in the
> > > real world, and it's nothing to do with magic.)
> >
> > Oh I know, but these are buff Guys & Gals with bulging....muscles.
>
>Weight is not the point (unless you're trying to stop bullets - Civil
>War iron shields were tried when firearms came in, and dropped, fast).
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>Wood cushions a blow. Iron does not. If you're stopping a heavy
>sword/axe blow, wood is *better*. OK, so the shield becomes a disposable
>item, but fine - it was. And having your enemy's weapons stuck in it is
>always a useful possibility.
>
>Iron "shields" do exist, but they're bucklers. You don't use them in a
>shield wall. Up to 18" across, max. Used against lighter weapons than
>Dark Age, usually (I know them in about 15th century), and you tend to
>deflect rather than block if possible. (The grip, BTW, is wooden or
>otherwise heavily padded, for the same reasons).
>
>Great for 1:1 fights, and lend themselves to a very fast and mobile
>fighting style. The smaller shield doesn't block visibility, and you can
>fight "round" it, it doesn't get in your way. Use it with a sword, not
>with a spear, though. Looks like a very Vingan / skirmisher idea to me.
>And by a nice coincidence, the one iron shield I spotted in OiD is used
>by a Vingan :)
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