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Spartans used
the round aspis similar to other hoplites. They adorned their
shield with personal or regional symbols that suited them. In
the early times Sparta was just as open a society as other
Greek city states, but the Messenian conquest and various
rebellions reshaped their society into the highly rigid and
disciplined people we hear about in stories today. Even with
all that rigid conformity they were hardly uniform in
appearance. In the Persian Wars period we do not have too much
art reference of actual Spartans. You can see the link below
that uses some analysis to describe how the symbols were
aligned with Spartan organization and actual regiments or
brigades. My guess is that units of Spartans at Thermopylae
would have many different shield types because they were
picked from all the regiments to serve in the bodyguard of
King Leonidas.
Here is where I fetched my inspirations for these decals:
A1: Rooster: Design from a vase online. The Rooster is a
common Spartan theme as it is a symbol of Apollo, the sun god.
A2: Bull Head (Spartan) Design from a reenactor's shield
online. The down turned Bull horns are representative of Zeus
as a bull and the rape of Demeter.
A3: Centaur with trident. Design from a reenactor's shield
online. Not specifically a Spartan design.
A4: Double Snakes. Design from a reenactor's shield
online. Snakes are a common shield device.
Older clans from Sparta may have adopted this as a status
symbol hearkening back to Archaic times.
A5: Scorpion.
Design
from a reenactor's shield online. Scorpions are common
Spartan symbols as it represents Ares.
A6: Solar symbol, Royal
emblem. Design from a
reenactor's shield online. The King or his
bodyguards may have carried this shield,
although Leonidas is often depicted with the
Scorpion or Gorgon symbols.
B1:
Gorgon. Design from some artwork
found online. Not specifically a Spartan
design, but very common.
B2:
Fancy Vase. Design
from some artwork found online.
Not specifically a Spartan design.
B3:
Solar symbol, lesser emblem. Design from a
reenactor's shield online. Geometric patters
were more common in the archaic period.
B4:
Geometric Horse. Design from some artwork
found online. Not specifically a Spartan
design, but very common.
B5: Wreath. Design
from a reenactor's shield online.
Not specifically a Spartan design, but very
common. King's bodyguards wore wreaths on their helmets.
B6: Dokana, Royal emblem. Design
from a reenactor's shield online.
The
Dokana is a sacred Spartan design. Possibly only used by
King's bodyguards.
C1: Aulos player. Got to stay in
step!
C2: Bull Head. Design
from some artwork found online. Not
specifically a Spartan design, but very common.
C3: Griffon. Design
from a reenactor's shield online.
Not specifically a Spartan design, but it is
cool.
C4: Horse. Design
from a reenactor's shield
online.
Not specifically a Spartan design.
C5: Wild
Boar.
Design
from a
reenactor's
shield online.
Not specifically a
Spartan design, but significant as
a symbol of the suppression of the
Messenians.
C6:
Bird.
Design
from a
reenactor's
shield online.
Not
specifically a
Spartan design.
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Some folks say that Spartan shield designs were assigned by
territorial brigades of 600 hoplites called a Mora. Each Mora
had its own device, although execution of the symbol would
vary. Of course, there are other stories about Spartans having
individual designs in this period. This web site has a very
detailed "theory" about uniformity of brigades:
https://stefanosskarmintzos.wordpress.com/2011/12/16/spartan-shield-devices-episimon/
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