"Early Saxon shields" Topic

I've picked up some Germans on ebay and I want to convert them to Saxons by changing their shields (I think this should be enough – they are bareheaded so helmets aren't an issue). I want them to face my Arthurian / Sub Roman British. Were the early Saxon shields smaller than later dark ages shields ? More like bucklers ? I know some manufacturers supply smaller shields, but what is the historical evidence for this ? For what dates would the smaller shields apply, and would it be a gradual change to larger ones ?

It will be interesting to see what responses there are …

I'm not sure what the provenance of 'smaller shields' would be and would expect 5th Century Saxons to look pretty much like most other Late Roman Germanic warrior bands (which is pretty much what they are). I would have thought guys with noticeably smaller shields would have been intended as youths or skirmishers – but maybe there is some specialised evidence that has shown up.

Phil

Peter Bone , who was a noted re e actor had this theory that early Saxons had smallish round shields and fought in a loose style. IIRC he cited damage to the shafts of spears and the size of shields from graves as evidence. The evidence from graves is patch, but there do appear to be both small ,half metre, and large, metre. shields deposited. Similarly there are graves with two light spears and graves with a heavier, thrusting spear and a throwing spear. There was a sort of correlation between age and wealth and having a thrusting spear and youth and having the dual use thrust/ throw spears.

Here's a theory: the Anglo Saxons have troops of older men who form close order lines of thrusting spear men with large shields…a shield wall, if you like. Around them operate groups of younger warriors with dual purpose spears who have small shields and are in looser formation.

When you are overrunning the countryside lighter , less cumbersome, kit would be useful

Another piece of evidence. The rider depicted on the seventh to eight century Repton stone from Mercia has a small shield, so does the rider, presumed Anglian on the Pictish Aberlemno stone. Maybe small shields are associated with mounted use?

Roy

There's some good discussion here:

TMP link

I definitely buy the "smaller shields in 6th-7th or 8th centuries" view, but the evidence is too limited for certainty either way.

There is some evidence that early shields were a bit smaller than later ones. Probably not as small as bucklers though.

My guess is that each man used what suited him. This was not an age of mass-produced standardisation! The more varied your figures look, the more historically accurate they will probably be!

Thanks for that link to an excellent thread (which I seemed to miss during a busy shows season last year).

Making a premature judgement, it sounds to me more like a greater proportion of skirmishers than warriors with small shields. That's an important point, though (e.g. DBA Saxons generally have to make do with 1 Ps element which doesn't sound much like what I've been reading catching up with this debate!)

Thanks

Phil

Well, I too have have always assumed smaller shields for earlier use. A more single combat style. I have been doing some digging. "The Anglo-Saxon Shield" by I. P. Stephenson, 2002. Pg 35, on referencing a shield found in mound 1 of the Sutton Hoo find. 33 to 38" . "Thus, the only shield in Anglo-Saxon England whose size can be calculated with any degree of accuracy and certainty was large". LOTS of smaller ones in art work but most finds are just the bosses with all wood gone. A good book for research.