Scutum Nilus

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Time of completion may vary depending on the queue of work.
Payment in advance preferred, with the balance due upon completion of the work.
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The symbol of the thunderbolt, the weapon of the father of the gods so recurrent on the much more well-known shields of the high empire, is actually a symbol of Hellenistic origin, in use since the third century BC also in Roman iconography.

Some coins from the early 1st century BC show a very simple decoration, which could perhaps be traced back to a very simplified representation of the winged thunderbolt. In fact, the representation shows us a divinity, Juno Sospita, one of the Roman divinities who was recognized the prerogative of hurling lightning: the religious symbolic role of the shield is evident, since it is depicted with the shape of the sacred ancile (the magical shield fallen from heaven at the time of Numa Pompilius).

This representation, however, immediately recalls one of the few coloured representations that we have, which has a similar decoration, very simple and not traceable to the thunderbolt. This is the depiction of a trophy with shields in the Nilotic-themed mosaic of the Antro delle Sorti, a natural cave near the forum of ancient Praeneste, attributable to Alexandrian artists who made it on site at the end of the second century BC. In view of the chronological proximity, it is very plausible that it was a similar symbol, if not the same.

The motif however shows an evident reference to the much more ancient depictions of the bundle of lightnings, represented on the already seen Roman-Campanian trients of the third century, of which it could ultimately constitute the final stylization.

Wood, textile, plaster. Rawhide edge, hand sewn with waxed linen thread.

If you want to know more about the decoration of this shield, read our article: Scutum Legionis. Appearance and decoration of the shields of Roman legionaries in the Middle Republican Era

Dimensions:
120x60x10 cm (plank)

Weight 7 kg

Product Res Bellica