An aspis (Ancient Greek: ἀσπίς; pl.: aspides, ἀσπίδες) or porpax shield was the heavy wooden shield used by the infantry in various periods of ancient Greece. [1] An aspis was deeply dished and made primarily of wood. Some had a thin sheet of bronze on the outer face, often just around the rim. The convention was to decorate the shield.

Jun 27, 2023 · The aspis was a round shield with a big bowl and a substantially reinforced, virtually flat rim. The shield measured between 35 and 43 inches (90–110 cm) in diameter. Glued together, the shield was made of thin pieces of wood.

May 14, 2024 · First used around the eighth century BC, this famed Greek shield was known as an ‘aspis’ and was the first line of defence for the hoplite infantrymen, the citizen-soldiers of ancient Greece.

The single most important element of the panoply – the piece which gives its name to the hoplite himself – is the aspis shield, also known as the Argive shield. (It is also commonly — if incorrectly, or at least imprecisely — referred to as a hoplon.)

Jun 25, 2019 · As John Lazenby and David Whitehead poignantly argued, in the period of its supremacy, this type of shield was called an aspis by the Greeks (J.F. Lazenby and D. Whitehead, “The myth of the hoplite’s hoplon ”, Classical Quarterly 46.1 (1996), pp. 27-33).

Shield (hoplon or aspis) – The hoplite’s most important piece of equipment. A Spartan could lose his helmet or breastplate with impunity but would be disgraced if he threw away his shield because, “You wear the armor for your own protection but you carry your shield for the protection of the entire line.”

The distinctive interior of the aspis, showing the central armband or porpax, the handgrip or antilabe near the rim, and the carrying cord. The shield at left is lined with deerskin, that at right with wool felt.

Apr 14, 2024 · The hoplite shield, known as aspis, is a distinctive element of Greek hoplite equipment, essential for the effectiveness of these heavily armed infantry soldiers. Typically circular, the aspis measured around three feet in diameter and was made of wood, often reinforced with metal.

Let’s begin with the most important part of the entire hoplite equipment, the famous round and hollow shield “Aspis koilè” [3] . This shield is made out of wood as it is shown by the few textual mention regarding this subject as well as the scarce archaeological sources that reached us, such as the Vatican shield.

An aspis (Ancient Greek Ασπις, IPA [aspis]) is the generic term for the word shield. The aspis, which is carried by Greek infantry (hoplites) of various periods, It is referred as hoplon (Οπλον, [hoplon]).