How were shields fastened to soldiers' backs?
score:14
The long strap you are referring to is called a "Guige" strap, and the original intention was likely not to allow the shield to be transported on one's back (although it would have been an added bonus) - the primary purpose was likely to distribute the weight of the shield during use. Given that a shield could weigh upwards of 5-10kg, being able to support the majority of the load on the shoulders would be a considerable advantage even with any loss of mobility.
For soldiers wielding spears, the guige also allowed a shield to be used in combat while freeing both hands for the shaft of the weapon. In addition, they were also used on horseback to either entirely support the shield to allow a free hand on the reins or again lighten the load enough to allow the shield hand to do so more effectively.
In fact, you can sometimes see how they were used in period art, such as this plate from the St.Etienne Bible for Cîteaux.
See Bronze Age Military Equipment by Dan Howard, Daily Life in the Middle Ages by Paul Newman, Hastings 1066: The Fall of Saxon England by Christopher Gravett.
Upvote:4
I wanted to comment, but an actual google search gave some sort of answer for me, maybe there will be better answers than mine, I see the practical side of the fastening problem. The handles are typically sort of "D" shaped where the straight side is the shield or some straps with two fixed points on the shield body having enough space between them for an arm or hand. The shape is ideal to apply independently from the shield any regular rope, leather strap to fasten it to your armour, or clothes and make it easily accessible.
Let's see some examples:
First picture is Arc d' Orange shield with handle. A strap would perfectly fit in, and could be used for fastening it to armour.
Second picture is a Viking shield replica. There you can see an applied strap for carrying/apply on the arm, but the handle here has enough space to put a rope or strap in it, so even without the applied strap, it would be easily attachable to anywhere.
If I was a dark age soldier and I would have to carry a shield without having a purposely attached fastener, I would use a rope, tie it into handle, if the shield is moving, make a triangles around the shield to make it stable, and fix it on myself, like a backpack, maybe there are better ideas, this is my first one to try. Here is the illustration I made in paint:
Upvote:5
There would usually be loops attached to the sheild to allow a strap to attached. You can wear the shield on your back using the strap or rope. Here is the reverse of one of the Behaim tournament shields:
More post
- 📝 What was the official attitude to Cromwell after the Glorious Revolution?
- 📝 What exactly were the religious beliefs of Gemistus Plethon?
- 📝 Did the French Resistance kill civilians?
- 📝 Did the Allies try to "bribe" Franco to join them in World War II?
- 📝 Can someone identify this banknote?
- 📝 Why does Edinburgh Castle's one o'clock gun fire at 1pm instead of, say, noon?
- 📝 Why was the requirement for Impeachment set at simple majority for House of Representatives, but supermajority (2/3) for a trial at the Senate?
- 📝 What is the original variant of the "Charles V Dominating Fury" statue?
- 📝 What did 'regular' medieval people think about royalty?
- 📝 Which arresting wire did Japanese carrier pilots aim for?
- 📝 How came the poppy be associated with WW1?
- 📝 The taboo of premarital sex for women
- 📝 Where to find reliable source about Palestinians leaving in 1948 (Nakba)?
- 📝 Was Frederick Douglass right that in his day 'religious slaveholders are the worst'? If so why would this be?
- 📝 How many vehicles were involved in Operation Gothic Serpent (Mogadishu, October 3-4, 1993)?
- 📝 When did nose-picking became socially condemned?
- 📝 Has there been significant progress in our knowledge of the Aztecs and/or Maya since the '60s?
- 📝 When and where was rape first criminalised independently from adultery?
- 📝 Tiberius, Augustus, and Eusebius
- 📝 During 1790-1800, was it legal to pay workers using whiskey?
- 📝 Is there a relationship between Portugal and Spain being able to discover the New World and the Moor occupation?
- 📝 Is there an accurate "World History Timeline" for all geographic areas?
- 📝 How were Mercy Dogs of WWI and WWII trained to know which soldier is from their side and which one isn't?
- 📝 What was the population of Indian subcontinent in 1000 AD?
- 📝 What were the types of currency used in ancient Mesopotamia?
- 📝 What were the last decisions that an English or a British monarch made that were forced on Parliament?
- 📝 Elevated walkway in background at 1980s Potsdamer Platz seen in Wim Wenders' film “Der Himmel über Berlin”
- 📝 On the eve of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's independence, the country had virtually zero doctors, or any other intellectuals?
- 📝 What is the oldest regulation in the world regarding a head of state?
- 📝 Are there any examples of European rulers with a rank lower than king to utilize a "throne" and a "throne room"?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 How were shields fastened to soldiers' backs?
- 📝 How much smaller were medieval farm animals in England than today?
- 📝 How were tanks scrapped after World War Two?
- 📝 How were smallpox vaccines enforced in the US?
- 📝 How were concentration and extermination camp guards recruited?
- 📝 How severe were the casualties in ancient/medieval battles?
- 📝 How literate were common people in Medieval Europe?
- 📝 How were drawbridges and portcullises used tactically?
- 📝 How common were marital duels in medieval Europe?
- 📝 How kind were the Muslim occupations of North Africa?
- 📝 How were medieval castles built in swamps or marshes without draining them?
- 📝 How were horses disembarked from sail ships?
- 📝 How were Martello towers supposed to work?
- 📝 How were the cities of Milan and Bruges spared by the Black Death?
- 📝 How beneficial were war bonds to the US during WWII
- 📝 How prevalent were recreational drugs in the ancient world?
- 📝 How were Kurds involved (or not) in the invasion of Normandy?
- 📝 How much were telegraphists in the 1950s paid?
- 📝 Were secret treaties ratified? How did they become official while remaining secret?
- 📝 How unfavorable were the terms of Germany's "surrender" in WW1?
- 📝 How were books published in Ancient Greece?
- 📝 How heavily were the British taxing their American colonies?
- 📝 How many lives were estimated to have been saved by the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs?
- 📝 How were diplomats and their staffs treated when World War II was declared?
- 📝 How expensive were castles? And how were the costs distributed?
- 📝 How were nobles 'promoted' in aristocracies?
- 📝 How were Muslim Turks treated in Byzantine Empire?
- 📝 How far were women able to advance in the Gestapo?
- 📝 How come all the major WW1 rifles were bolt action?
- 📝 Were Arctic communities aware how different daylight cycles were elsewhere?