Shield thickness - a thin shield does the job.

People are often surprised at how thin shields were. In films, actors aim blows at shields. In a real fight this is seldom a bright thing to do. Instead, people aim around a shield, and so the parrying of blows is done with the edge and not the flat. Edgeways on, shields are very thick.

Lindybeige: a channel of archaeology, ancient and medieval warfare, rants, swing dance, travelogues, evolution, and whatever else occurs to me to make.