Can the Notitia Dignitatum help identify colors for Late Republic/Early Imperial Roman Shields?

What type of information was recorded in the Notitia Dignitatum?

The Notitia Dignitatum (Latin for “The List of Offices”) is a document of the late Roman Empire that details the administrative organization of the Eastern and Western Empires.

What Colours were Roman shields?

Most designs were symmetrical and used the colours; red (for Mars the God of war), yellow, white and gold.

What did Roman shields look like?

Early Roman shields were oval and flat. However, by the time that the Romans invaded Britain in AD 43, most shields were rectangular. They were slightly curved, a bit like part of a cyclinder, so that they would stand up. Roman shields were made of sheets of wood glued together to make the curved shape.

How did Romans make shields?

The shields were mostly made of wood – a few layers glued together to make the curved shape. Some extra strips of wood were glued on the back for more strength. The shield was then covered in leather and a sheet of linen cloth added to the front. Designs were usually painted onto the front.

What was painted on Roman shields?

Shield designs



Some shields also had a wreath painted on them. The wreath symbolises victory. Shields also sometimes had scenes of myths or famous battles on them.

How do you paint Romans?


Quote from video: All over it so a mid-tone gray is also a great choice something like mechanical standard gray from citadel or uniform gray from the army painter these are both great choices.

What types of shields did the Romans use?

3 Kinds of Ancient 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.


Did Roman soldiers dip their shields in water?

By saturating their shields with water, even if those dangerous flaming arrows hit, they were extinguished upon impact by the wet surface of the Roman shield.



Why did the Romans change their shields?

A longer weapon would have changed the ergonomics and tactics of combat, leading to a change in shield type. The Spatha was a more “cut and thrust” weapon and was used as an auxilary type weapon in the 1st century and was also adopted into Germanic use.

Who made the first Roman shield?

The first depictions of the scutum are by the Este culture in the 8th century bc, and subsequently spread to the Etruscans, Illyrians, Celts, and Italians.

How do you draw a shield?

Quote from video: Turn it upside. Down we want to go straight straight straight straight straight and then we go off at that curve. And follow the curve around to a nice point at the bottom. And then draw.

What is an Aspis shield?

An aspis (Ancient Greek: ἀσπίς, plural aspides, ἀσπίδες), or porpax shield, sometimes mistakenly referred to as a hoplon (Greek: ὅπλον)( a term actually referring to the whole equipment of a hoplite), was the heavy wooden shield used by the infantry in various periods of ancient Greece.



How heavy is a Roman shield?

Weights aren’t given, but based on the thickness of the boards, shields would have been under 10lb. This enables them to be used very agressively in combat but makes them vulnerable to being pierced in a shield wall. The heaviest Roman scuta so far found seem to weigh about 22 lbs (10 kg).

What were gladiator shields made of?

Their weapon and armor included: Scutum: a large oblong shield made from three sheets of wood, glued together and topped with a leather or canvas coating. Galea: plumed helmet with a visor and small eye holes.

What are female gladiators called?

Female gladiators are often referred to in ancient texts as ludia (female performers in a ludi, a festival or entertainment) or as mulieres (women) but not often as feminae (ladies) suggesting to some scholars that only lower-class women were drawn to the arena.

Were there any female gladiators?

The gladiatrix (plural gladiatrices) is the female equivalent of the gladiator of ancient Rome. Like their male counterparts, gladiatrices fought each other, or wild animals, to entertain audiences at various games and festivals.

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