>On the question of mace v. shield, the mace would tend
>to bounce off (just like a hammer off a wooden plank),
>but that might not stop the arm underneath from
>breaking. That's the reason to angle the sheild so
>that it does not absorb the impact perpendicularly --
>better to let the force of the blow slide off to the
>side.
Well the re-enactors I saw seemed quite happy to demonstrate full force blows with a mace (and morning star etc) onto a held wooden shield. As they'd obviously done the demo before the chances of breaking an arm must be pretty low.
I suspect the reappearance of the mace as a weapon in the middle ages reflects the greater use of armour and smaller shields. A mace would be easier to use than a sword against plate armour.
-- Donald Oddy http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/
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