museum-of-artifacts:Roman scutum shield. This is the only known surviving example of this kind of sh
museum-of-artifacts:Roman scutum shield. This is the only known surviving example of this kind of shields. It was famous for the Testudo (tortoise) formation, used commonly by the Roman Legions during battles, particularly sieges. In the testudo formation, the men would align their shields to form a packed formation covered with shields on the front and top. The first row of men, possibly excluding the men on the flanks, would hold their shields from about the height of their shins to their eyes, so as to cover the formation’s front. The shields would be held in such a way that they presented a shield wall to all sides.Dura-Europos, Syria, 1800 years old http://museum-of-artifacts.blogspot.com/ -- source link