Hello again,

I've come out from simple trolling for an odd, and hopefully interesting, question. What are, if any, the historical uses or square shields (not rectangular). I recently saw someone making one for reenactment fighting (if i remember correctly ,it had a slight curve), but i didn't get to ask him any questions about it.

Any info on these things (any square shield), especially time period and area, would get greatly appreciated.

Thanks and keep up the great discussions, i love reading them even though i have little to add myself.

Hi,
It may have been an interpretation of a Pictish shield, sometimes re-enactors of this period make them based on Pictish stone sculpture warrior representations. Sorry I cant be more specific but these are usually quite small, not much larger then bucklers, I think there may be a color plate in Osprey's Men at Arm's book 'Arthur and the Anglo-Saxon Wars' showing a group of Pictish warriors with these shields and also perhaps an illustration in Dan & Sussana Shadrake's 'Barbarian Warriors'.
best
Dave

There also square shields shown in Greek Geometric era art, c. 9th century BC (that's early Iron Age, before the well-known Classical era). Also a few shown in Italy at about the same time or not long afterwords, though they might be a little more rectangular. These aren't small, more like 2 to 3 feet across.

Khairete,

Matthew

About 3/4's down the page:
Italian targets, circa 1540-1560
http://www.myArmoury.com/feature_shield.html

Fencing Buckler
http://www.humanities-interactive.org/medieva...8_03c.html

Bottom of the page:
F 80 TARGHETTA DA PUGNO, ITALIA, 1550-1560 CIRCA
F 81 TARGHETTA DA PUGNO, ITALIA, 1540-1550 CIRCA
F 83 TARGHETTA DA PUGNO, MILANO, 1570-1580 CIRCA
http://www.artito.arti.beniculturali.it/Armer...13.asp?L=F

targhetta da pugno, alla milanese
http://www.ibc.regione.emilia-romagna.it/h3/h..._A%3dFC026

TARGHETTA DA PUGNO
http://fototeca.iccd.beniculturali.it/OGGINT/...%3D'22368'
http://fototeca.iccd.beniculturali.it/OGGFOTO...EG%3D22368

duelling targette, 1550
http://www.truefork.org/Photography/Burgundia...pons_3.php

Rara targhetta da pugno
http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/2024224

Square Target
http://www.arms-n-armor.com/armor046.html

MOROZZO BUCKLER
http://www.manningimperial.com/item.php?item_...mp;c_id=10

Bottom of the page:
Square Target Shield
http://www.madmattsarmory.com/inv_shield.php

Would you include the Roman scutum in the discussion?

Even if not, you could try looking at this page for images of some Bronze Age Greek shields, including large rectangular models:

http://www.salimbeti.com/micenei/shields1.htm