The Greek hoplite’s shield is popularly known as the hoplon, though ancient Greeks themselves generally called it the aspis, with hoplon more accurately referring to a hoplite’s full equipment. Roughly a metre across and deeply dished, the historical aspis relied on the Argive grip: the wearer’s forearm passed through a central porpax while the hand gripped a separate antilabe near the rim, letting the shield’s considerable weight rest across the whole arm and even the shoulder rather than the hand alone. Losing this shield in battle was considered a genuine disgrace among hoplites, severe enough in some city-states to carry serious punishment. This reproduction is built at 23 inches in diameter with a leather covering and embossed boss.
Greek Hoplite Shield, 23-Inch, Embossed Boss
This metal shield with leather covering and an embossed boss measures 23 inches in diameter. The historical Greek hoplite shield, properly called the aspis (often popularly called the hoplon), was a deeply dished wooden shield distinguished by its unique two-point Argive grip. Rather than a simple central handle, the Argive grip placed an armband, or porpax, at the centre for the forearm, with a separate handle, the antilabe, near the rim for the hand — a genuinely distinctive design among ancient shields.
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