What was the Parma shield made of?

The scutum was a 10-kilogram (22 lb) large rectangle curved shield made from three sheets of wood glued together and covered with canvas and leather, usually with a spindle shaped boss along the vertical length of the shield.

Who used the Parma shield?

the Roman army
A parma or parmula (the diminutive of parma) was a type of round shield used by the Roman army, especially during the later period of imperial history since 3rd century.

When did Romans stop using scutum?

The Scutum was discontinued because around the 3rd century AD the Roman Legions were mostly made up of Auxilia. This created more “barbarian” influence in the Legions. Eventually the Roman Legionary began to look more like a Germanic warrior instead of what most people think of when they hear the term Roman soldier.

What Shields did the Romans use?

Here are three kinds of Roman shields.

Legionaire scutum. The most famous of the Roman shields, great scuta were large and either rectangular or oval.
Parma. For reasons of movement and balance, soldiers on horseback used smaller round shields, called parma.
Clipeus. The clipeus was the Roman version of the Greek aspis.

Why are Roman shields curved?

According to Polybius, the scutum gave Roman soldiers an edge over their Carthaginian enemies during the Punic Wars: “Their arms also give the men both protection and confidence, which they owed to the size of the shield.”

How did Roman soldiers carry their shields?

Both types of shields had bosses, a bulge on the front made out of iron or bronze to protect the hand holding the shield. Whether you were left or right-handed, shields were always held in the left hand when the soldier was fighting.

Why did Romans switch to round shields?

It was a rigid form of fighting and its maneuverability was limited. The small shields provided less protection. However, their smaller size afforded more mobility. Their round shape enabled the soldiers to interlock them to hold the line together.

How heavy is a Roman shield?

It can be considered a body shield, and was extremely heavy (~10kg). When a legionary charged with the shield, he would hold it with a straight arm and rest it on his left shoulder, then run towards the enemy with full force in an attempt to knock his foe over.

How big should a Roman shield be?

The Roman panoply consists firstly of a shield (scutum), the convex surface of which measures two and a half feet in width and four feet in length, the thickness at the rim being a palm’s breadth. It is made of two planks glued together, the outer surface being then covered first with canvas and then with calfskin.

What was the Parma shield made of? The scutum was a 10-kilogram (22 lb) large rectangle curved shield made from three sheets of wood glued together and covered with canvas and leather, usually with a spindle shaped boss along the vertical length of the shield. Who used the Parma shield? the Roman army A parma…