Swordier HEMA Training SABRE Full Review (1005 & 1009)

Let's talk a little bit more about Boeotian or Boetian-style ancient Greek shields, or the sort of ancestor of the Dipylon from the Geometric Period and the Proto-Dipylon from the Bronze Age. Now, I recently did a video on this shield entirely, the sort of debate of did they actually exist and were they used by the Hoplites themselves, or were they an artistic throwback? So I'm not going to be covering any of that in this video. If you are interested in the overarching debate over these shields and whether they were used by archaic Hoplites, I'll leave a link to that original video down below. What I specifically want to talk about today are these cutouts. What are they for? Most people think that they are spear cutouts. So differently from the Aspis, where they're held like this, with the arm held to the side, Boeotian-style shields are held with the arm down, okay, and often in artwork we actually see it being held up like this. So this is the stance that you see with Boeotian or Boetian-style shields, not this like you do with Aspides. So many people think that this is a spear cutout, say you put your spear through the cutout. I don't think this is the case at all. I can see why people would think this, it seems to make sense, but as soon as you try and put that into practice and cross-reference that with contemporary sources, it just becomes evident that it doesn't work. This doesn't accomplish anything for me, right? It traps my spear in a very small area. I can't move very well, I can now no longer parry with my spear, which is a massively important aspect of Hoplite-style warfare, is parrying with spears. It doesn't allow me to hold the spear in overhand, which is another controversial topic. Again, myself and Professor Paul Vardinius have done a very in-depth video on that, which I'll link down below, on our stance on why overhand was overwhelmingly used. You can't hold it like this, which is what you see in artwork if it's through this window, and it's incredibly awkward to actually stab with because I'm now trying to not hit my hand on this wooden rim of a shield. So it heavily restricts your motion, right, I'm literally limited now inside this. Now I get that I can use it as a bit of a lever, but it's very messy, it's very dangerous for people around me, I can't parry, I can't really stab properly. So I do not think that these cutouts in Boeotian-style shields are for spear use. Another reason for that is that we don't see these shields being used at all in the period in which the most tightly packed shield walls existed. So we see these shields, again, possibly not even used in the archaic period, but we seem to have quite a lot of artistic depictions which show similar Boeotian-style shields, shields that are even sometimes oval or circular like this one with cutouts, which is an era of Hellenic warfare that doesn't have completely, you know, packed and dense formations. It's a more warband style of warfare, which means that this becomes seemingly even less necessary because you're not fighting in a formation, it just really restricts you. So what are these for? And the main answer, and not so fun answer, is we just don't really know. I don't think, as I just said, it's for spears. Maybe it's decoration, possibly, we can't really rule that out. And it's symmetrical, which is interesting as well, so even if it is for spears, you don't need it on the other side. So that, for me, I think it's more of a symmetry thing. But I do think there is a practical purpose to these, and this is my theory that I put forward before, so take it for what it's worth. I think that these are sights, I think these are windows, because when held in that stance that you often see, I can actually really nicely view through that slot at the legs of the person that I would be fighting, which I otherwise wouldn't be able to see if this was a solid aspis, right? If it was like that, I have a blind spot. Whereas this, I can now actually see down there through the shield. That doesn't explain why there's one on the other side, I think possibly just for being symmetrical is an answer for that. But that's what I think is more likely these are for. I think these are more likely, again, just held in that way that we see, I can now see through that at an area of my opponent that I wouldn't have previously been able to see with other styles of shields. And if they were used, I think personally that a rendition of the shield did exist in the archaic period, but we can't prove that, we can't necessarily disprove that. But it would make sense to me why this style of shield would have had a little bit of a longer lasting life in a period of warfare that is a little bit more individualistic, that is a little bit more based on, you know, looser warband style fighting. Now this also opens up weak spots, right? Possible areas of exploitation. Someone can potentially stab me through this gap. It would be pretty darn difficult, but it is a possibility. An arrow, a slingstone, something could potentially go through it. And it's pretty safe to say that we don't see these existing into the classical period. But that, for me, if they had any purpose at all apart from decoration, I have just found through examining sources and experimenting myself in mock combat as well, that they can basically be used as a window, right? Also notice that the blazing is now upright when held like this, as opposed to if it's held just straight like that. So we very much see stances sort of like this in the artwork. And if held like that, I can see the lower portion of my opponent, which is quite helpful. So for those of you that had questions about the holes in the Boeotian style shields, I hope that that can make you think a little bit. I haven't got a decisive answer. That's just my hypothesis. That's what I think these are like before. I think it's very, very safe to say that these are not spear cutouts. Just anyone who tries to fight like that is just, you're literally disabled. You're basically giving yourself a disability in combat. So I really do not think that it is a spear cutout. And maybe it's just a coincidence, but I think that being able to see it when held in that artwork, I think that that's more likely what it's for, and the other ones added for symmetry and decoration. But I can't say for certain. What do you think? Let me know down below. Am I onto something here or am I completely missing the mark? Curious to hear your thoughts. Thanks very much for watching this video. I hope that you enjoyed it and found it interesting, and I hope that you agree with me. But if you don't, absolutely feel free to disagree with me in the comments as well. If you'd like to support the channel, a massive thanks to our channel members and supporters. It truly does mean a lot. Checking out our channel's Patreon or YouTube memberships can be a really, really great help to support the channel further. If not, if you don't want to do that, or can't afford to do that, no worries at all. Liking and subscribing is a massive help, and sharing these videos around to our niche audience really helps these videos out. So thanks very much for watching. I hope you found it interesting, and I'll hopefully see you in the next video.