ἀσπίς , ίδος: shield.—(1) the larger,
oval shield, termed ἀμφιβρότη,
ποδηνεκής. It is more than 2 ft. broad, 4 1/2 ft. high, and
weighed about 40 lbs. (For Agamemnon's shield, see Il. 11.32-40). The large shield was held
over the left shoulder, sustained by the τελαμών and by the πόρπαξ, or
ring on the inside.— (2) the smaller, circular shield,
πάντοσ᾽ ἐι?ση (see cut), with only
two handles, or with one central handle for the arm and several for
the hand (see cut No. 12). It was of about half the size and weight of
the larger ἀσπίς, cf. the description of
Sarpēdon's shield, Il.
12.294 ff. The shield consisted generally of from 4 to 7
layers of ox-hide (ῥι_νοί, Il. 13.804); these were covered by a
plate of metal, and the whole was firmly united by rivets, which
projected on the outer, convex side. The head of the central rivet,
larger than the rest, was the ὀμφαλός or
boss, and was usually fashioned into the form of a
head. Instead of the plate above mentioned, concentric metal rings
(δινωτής, εὔκυκλος) were sometimes
substituted. The rim was called ἄντυξ,
and the convex surface of the shield bore some device analogous to an
heraldic coat of arms, Il. 5.182,
Il. 11.36, cf. Il. 5.739. The shield of Achilles (Il. 18.478-608), in describing which the
poet naturally did not choose to confine himself to realities, does
not correspond exactly to either of the two ἀσπίδες described above.