Boarshield Hand Made Greek Hoplon Shield | 30 Inch Bronze Faced Aspis | Riveted Rim, Painted Running Boar and Leather Carry Strap | Ancient Warrior Gift | RK-1478

The Greek aspis, usually called a hoplon, is the shield that made the phalanx possible. It is a shallow bowl rather than a flat disc, roughly three feet across, and its weight is carried on the inside of the forearm rather than in the fist. That single design decision changed how infantry fought. A shield held by a central grip has to be pushed out in front of the body and tires the arm in minutes. A shield braced along the forearm can be leaned into, rested on the shoulder in the ranks, and held in line for as long as the man behind you keeps pushing.

This one is built in the Czech Republic with a bronze toned sheet face over a laminated timber core, a rolled rim held with a full circle of domed rivets, and a running boar painted across the face in oxide red. The boar was one of the commonest blazons in the Greek world, associated with reckless courage and, in the myths, with the hunt that killed Adonis. The dry stone wall in the photograph is scenery and not part of the order. The round shield of the north worked on the same principles, covered in our guide to Viking shields.

Specifications

Why the bowl, and why the rim is riveted

The dish in the face is the most important thing about an aspis and the easiest to overlook. A flat board takes a spear thrust square on and has to absorb all of it. A bowl presents a curved surface, so most thrusts arrive at an angle and skid rather than bite. The curve also stiffens the whole shield the way a curved sheet of paper will hold its own weight when a flat one will not, which lets the core be thinner and lighter than a flat shield of the same strength.

The rim is where a shield actually dies. Every edge blow and every ground strike lands there, and an unprotected wooden edge splits along the grain within a season. Wrapping the perimeter in metal and riveting it through spreads that impact across the rim band and into the body of the shield instead of letting it concentrate at one point. The full circle of domed rivets you can see here is doing structural work, not decoration.

Be clear about function. This is a display and living history shield. The face is sheet metal over a timber core, and it will take handling, drill, parade and photography. It is not a combat shield and it is not built to receive full force blows. If you fight, buy a purpose built plywood combat shield with a rawhide edge.

Materials and finish

The core is laminated timber, which is the right modern answer to the historical problem. Original aspides were built from planks glued edge to edge and then faced, and they split along those glue lines when they aged. A laminated core alternates grain direction between layers, so it holds the dish without cracking and it does not warp when it moves between a damp garage and a heated room.

The facing is sheet metal in a bronze tone, brushed to a soft radial finish and then sealed. Sealing matters, because bare bronze and brass go through a whole sequence of yellows and browns as they oxidise. Some people love that and some want it bright for ever, so tell us at the time of ordering which you want and we will either seal it as shown or leave it live so it patinates.

The boar is painted by hand in an oxide red, laid on and then sealed under the same finish as the face.

Engraving, runes and your own design

Use the rune converter on this page to turn a name, a date or a short phrase into Elder Futhark and we will cut it into the steel or the leather. If you would rather have a Viking pattern than a rune line, choose your own design in the engraving option above the add to cart button and tell us where it goes. Where a piece already carries an engraved design, your chosen engraving replaces it rather than sitting alongside it, so if you want your own device or lettering instead of the boar, that is what you will get. The rim band and the leather strap also take a cut line well. See the engraving page.

Mounting and display

At roughly thirty inches across and twelve pounds this is a substantial object and it needs a real fixing. Do not hang it on a picture hook. Two heavy duty hooks or a French cleat fixed into studs will carry it happily; drywall anchors on their own will not, and a shield coming off a wall damages the shield and whatever is under it.

The dish means it stands proud of the wall by several inches, so give it a clear space where nobody will catch a shoulder on the rim. If you are displaying it on a floor stand instead, choose one that supports the rim at two points rather than balancing the shield on a single spike, which will eventually print a dent through the facing. Keep it out of direct sunlight, which will fade the painted device over years, and away from a radiator, which will dry the timber core unevenly.

Care

Dust the face with a soft dry cloth. The sealed bronze finish needs nothing else, and you should not put brass polish on it because the polish will cut straight through the seal and leave a bright patch that then tarnishes at a different rate to everything around it. If you asked for an unsealed live finish, then a brass cream is exactly right and you can take it as bright or as dark as you like. Feed the leather carry strap with a leather balm once or twice a year and check the strap fixings when you do. Wipe any water off the rim rather than letting it sit at the join between metal and timber. Our notes on steel care cover metal finishes in more detail. If it is going on a wall rather than into a line, choosing a shield for display covers size and mounting.

Made in the Czech Republic

Every piece we sell is made by hand in the Czech Republic. The smiths there work the way the trade has been worked for a long time, heating and hammering the steel, taking the bevels down by eye, and fitting the handle and the leather one at a time. There is no automated line anywhere in it, so small differences from one piece to the next are normal and expected.

Ransack Viking is a United States company based in Memphis, Tennessee. We bring the pieces in ourselves, inspect them on arrival and ship them from our own warehouse. If you add engraving, that is carried out here in the United States before your order goes out.

A note on handmade variation

This shield is hand made, not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. Rivet spacing, the depth of the dish, the exact tone of the bronze finish and the brush strokes in the painted boar all vary, because every shield is worked by hand from natural materials. The dimensions, the material and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a combat shield?

No. It is built for display, wall mounting, living history and costume. It is not made to take full force blows and should not be used for fighting.

Is the face solid bronze?

It is a bronze toned sheet metal facing over a laminated timber core, which is how a real aspis was built. A solid bronze shield of this size would be unliftable.

Can I have a porpax arm loop and hand grip fitted?

Yes. Say so when you order and we will fit a leather arm loop at the centre and a hand grip at the rim in place of, or in addition to, the carry strap.

Will the bronze finish tarnish?

Not as supplied, because it is sealed. If you would rather it aged naturally, ask for an unsealed finish and it will darken over the years like any live brass or bronze.

Can I have my own device instead of the boar?

Yes. Tell us what you want on the face and it replaces the boar rather than sitting next to it. Runes, a lambda, a gorgon or your own drawing are all fine.

How long before it ships?

Processing is one to two weeks because the core is dished and faced to order. Shipping inside the United States is free and returns are accepted within seven days.

What is in the box

• One bronze faced hoplon shield on a laminated timber core
• Rolled and riveted rim with a full circle of domed rivets
• Hand painted running boar device, or your own device in its place
• Leather carry strap, fitted
• Care and mounting card
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

See more in round shields, roman and greek helmets, kite shields and bucklers and shield bosses, or read the guides.