This is a recreation of a Greek hoplite shield from the Persian War era (500-450 BC), to be used for historical reenactment.

The shield (aspis) is made from birch, covered in linen, with the arm band (porpax) being made from poplar and lined with sheep hide. Metal hardware is made from brass (the originals would have been made in bronze) and reliefs decorated by hand. Cord and grip made from sisal and leather, tassels made from horsehair.

The crab (karkinos) is modeled after designs found on vase paintings of shields and from Greek coinage. The karkinos was the giant crab that attacked Hercules. For its effort, Hera placed it in the sky as the constellation “Cancer.” I melted down a bucket of wheel weights to create a lead block that I could place under the brass while hammering the reliefs.

The shield is 36″ (91.44mm) in diameter, and weighs 14 pounds (6.35kg).

For more images of the steps in creating the shield, check out the other aspides on this blog (owl and snake).