07-25-2016, 11:13 AM
(07-23-2016, 03:47 PM)michaelsean Wrote: Zona, is it possible the shields changed to reflect a more diverse form of fighting? It seems the Roman shield was very effective for the shield wall, but not so much for single combat. The Norse or Danes for instance could find themselves fighting at sea or raiding or being raided. Often these would result in single combat. Attaking and breaching a fortified site could also involve a lot of single combat.
That's a good point. Seems reasonable.
When stirrups came into use in the west (just before the time of William the Conquerer), heavily armored knights became viable and fighting on horseback became more common. The mounted knights favored smaller shields for obvious reasons. So, there was also that.