Late Carthaginian shield designs

[Justin Swanton]

The response to the Polybian shield pattern thread encouraged me to post this.

I am currently painting up some late Carthaginian heavy spear. For the colouring of the figure I'm more or less going with this:



What qualifies though as authentic or near-as-we-know authentic shield patterns? I'm looking into creating transfers so detail isn't a problem. Can anyone help?

[Swampster]

Duncan summarises what is known in AMPW but this sumarises his summary...
The most likely representations are those on the Chemtou/Chimtou reliefs though these are Numidian and may not even show what was carried in the area. IIRC, Duncan said more recently that there was likely a religious connection with each design which may or may not cast doubt on their actual use.
http://www.chimtou.com/ is the site website but the detailed pictures of the shields sem to have gone. http://looklex.com/tunisia/chemtou10.htm is a better view of the reconstruction of the Micipsa monument but still not very clear. http://i.imgur.com/JjxPgfn.jpg is apparently from there and shows the aegis - a representation of hide with Medusa's head in the middle. There is also the eye used as the logo of the museum, and IIRC a horse and a lion.
The Tanit symbol seems to have become very popular but AFAIK there is no evidence for it being used on a shield.

[Justin Swanton]

Looking around, I gather the impression that plain white shields with perhaps rim patterns are likely, and shield motifs are all up for speculation.

[Duncan Head]

Apart from the Chimtou designs, which as Peter says are Numidian rather than Carthaginian and may not reflect real shields at all, there is next to nothing. Shields on Carthaginian seals and stelai are uniformly plain. The earlier Sacred Band shields are described as white, full stop. There is one LibyPhoenician grafitto which may show a light infantryman with a shield with a crescent blazon, and that's almost it.

But d'Amato and Salimbeti have a Carthaginian Osprey out next month, and they will doubtless illustrate some imaginative shields....

[Justin Swanton]

Thanks Peter and Duncan. I'll go with plain white (makes my painting job easier in any case).

[Jim Webster]

Thanks Peter and Duncan. I'll go with plain white (makes my painting job easier in any case).

My thoughts exactly :-)

Jim

[Andreas Johansson]

The earlier Sacred Band shields are described as white, full stop.

Would the context imply that other Punic troops did not have white shields?

[Duncan Head]

Not necessarily. They (and actually, "they" are not just the Sacred Band, but all 10,000 heavy infantry - my mistake earlier) are the only ones whose equipment is described at all.