![]() This collection is mainly intended to help wargamers painting their Greek armies. First draw a large circle on a piece of cardboard - the easiest method is to draw around a suitable large container, or alternatively fasten a pencil to a length of string and use as a simple compass. These shield patterns have been garnered mostly from books on vases and other items of pottery in museums around the world. We have an alternative Greek hoplite shield, possibly for younger children, which uses a paper plate. There are 200-odd patterns here at the moment, and more get added slowly as and when I get the time, but it's a slow job. Most of the shields shown here are "hoplons", a few are peltas or similar, there are also a few parablemata (shield aprons) unless noted all are carried by warriors on foot rather than mounted. I use "Greek" in a wide sense including Greek-influenced Italian states such as Campania, from where most late 4th century depictions of hoplons come from. The word hoplon did not actually come to mean the peculiar shield associated with hoplites until the end of the 5th century, and even then it was still more often referred to by the more generic name 'aspis'. Generally, each hoplite chose his own shield design. The word hoplon did not actually come to mean the peculiar shield associated with hoplites until the end of the 5th century, and even then it was still more often referred to by the more generic name "aspis". This was true even of the Spartans, at least initially. Generally, each hoplite chose his own shield design. For those of you that cant be bothered with painting fiddly designs on your hoplons, but still want them to look good, theres a British outfit called Veni Vidi Vici that specialise in making transfers for shields. ![]() This was true even of the Spartans, at least initially. There is an anecdote which talks of a Spartan who had a life-sized fly for his emblem. Medusa Gorgon head on a shield hand drawn line art and dot work tattoo or print design isolated vector illustration. Accused of cowardice (his enemies wouldn't be able to recognise him) he responds that the fly would be the size of a lion when he bore down on his enemy in battle. The hoplite army consisted of heavy infantrymen. The equipment might be passed down in families, as it was expensive to manufacture. However, they changed this personal-preference policy into one of state control, whereby each man carried the same badge - in this case the letter lambda (for Lakedaimon, another name for Sparta). Hoplites had customized armour, the shield was decorated with family or clan emblems, although in later years these were replaced by symbols or monograms of the city states. Such shields are attested by Xenophon in the early 4th century BC.
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