"Why did slingers use shields?" Topic

It looks like there were slingers using shields, but why did they use it? I suppose that would not give them much protection against in-coming missiles, but are they equipped with shields so they can engage other skirmishers in melee and chase them away from the battlefield?
Any thought about the subject?

link

There was a wargames convention back in the day that slingers could count shielded while shooting, whereas archers couldn't, and that has influenced a lot of modern representations. In fact I believe that there are very few, if any, ancient renderings of slingers with shields (though there's one mediaeval one in the Maciejowski Bible – link bottom right).

The only protrayal of a slinger with a shield I know of is on Trajans column
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxilia
It would offer some protection whilst re-loading (how much a hinderance that would be I don´t know), whilst moving around the battlefield and if they had to engage Hand-to-Hand against other skirmishers.

You need both hands to load a sling…

Not bad for a second attempt.

YouTube link

nice!

Back in the (WRG) day one could field a mixed unit with shielded slingers in the front rank and archers behind, all counting shielded. Gamey, what? :-)

Aren't there a few Assyrian slingers with shields in the British Museum? I'm not there to check, alas.

Mind you, I can't find them on Google.

The Assyrian slingers are dismounted heavy cavalry at a siege. They have pavise men holding big man-high shields to protect them as they use their slings.

One persons thoughts of slings with shields YouTube link have a look at his other videos on slings as well.

x42

Not shields, but bucklers which were strapped to forearm.
Alternately, the hand fits through a strap that frees the fingers.
So if a sling requires two hands a small shield is no encumbrance.

and not much use

and not much use

but better than no shield at all …

It makes the guy holding a shield think it protects him. That makes him just a little more inclined to stay.
Besides , incoming missiles are not like bullets. They can be seen and spent ones knocked aside.

Why do javelin armed skirmishers carry shields? The same negatives should apply.

For defense, obviously.

What all do you think they'd use them for, little sleds in case of a snow day?
-Kle.

Any bit of armored protection is useful from incoming fire and in melee combat. No matter what your prime job is in combat. The shield will help protect you.

I'd want a shield no matter what. Maybe not a big honking thing but at least a buckler.

They used them to stop incoming missiles. Not all slingers used them. It does take some skill…more so than a full sized shield but, as pointed out from above, if you can see it, you can block it.

A better question would be: Why didnt anyone try to attach a sheild to a bow?

I've been to some riot response team training sessions and it is amazing what can be blocked even with the small round shields. We even had people in full kit block rubber blunted arrows at 50 feet. Even the little 18 and 22 inch round shields worked great. A few minutes into the training and pretty much everyone would be blocking 95%+ of the incoming shots. With the larger rectangular shield it was pretty much impossible to get hit unless there were so many more shooters than targets.

I totally get why ancient sources talk about javelineers driving away archers. If they had even small shields they'd be a major threat that couldn't easily be hit.

Don't forget that Cretan archers (Anabasis)are described as having bronze faced ?bucklers. The bow is definitely a 2-handed-weapon!
I can only think it would be useful in close combat with other psiloi?
I doubt a buckler would be much use against slingers shooting lead shot, which, I believe was invisible in flight.

Illustrations of European slingers, 11th-13th centuries

Anglo-Saxon slinger in 'God's Covenant with Abram' from Ælfric's Hexateuch, 2nd quarter of the 11th century
French slinger in 'David and Goliath' from the Bible of Saint Stephen Harding, 1109-1111AD
'David and Goliath' from the Melisende Psalter, Jerusalem, 1131-1143AD
Spanish slinger in 'David and Goliath' from the Biblia Segunde de San Isidoro de Leon, 1162AD
English slinger in the 'Life of David' from the Winchester Bible, c.1160–1180AD
Rylands Beatus, Commentary on the Apocalypse by Beatus of Liébana, Spain, c.1175
From Liber ad honorem Augusti by Pietro da Eboli, c.1197
..Sicilian slinger in 'The people of Salerno attack the palace'
..Sicilian slinger in 'Assault by the Salerni on the Terracina Palace'
..Sicilian slinger in 'Salerno attacked by the imperial troops'
French slinger in 'David and Goliath' from the Morgan or Maciejowski Bible, mid 13th Century
French slinger in 'Uriah is Slain' from the Morgan or Maciejowski Bible, mid 13th Century

As David is traditionally shieldless, this probably skews down the proportion of slingers depicted with shields.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume and Soldiers

Loading a sling while holding a shield is easy.

You loose your stone, and… (here's the bit that seems to baffle people)…

…put your sling in your shield hand.

Take your now-unencumbered shooting hand.
Reach into your pouch. Take out a stone. Place it in the sling.

Take the sling in your shooting hand, and… y'know… shoot.

I'm going with snow days…..