Ancient Greek Spartan Shield - Λ symbol - King Leonidas and 300 - Battle of Thermopylae against Persians - Wall Decoration - Casting Stone

Item Specifics

Condition: New, Made in Greece.
Material: Casting Stone
Height: 33,5 cm - 13,2 inches
Width: 33,5 cm - 13,2 inches
Length: 3,5 cm - 1,4 inches
Weight: 1800 g

An aspis, sometimes also referred to as an hoplon, was the heavy wooden shield used by the infantry in various periods of ancient Greece.An aspis was deeply dished and made primarily of wood. Some had a thin sheet of bronze on the outer face, often just around the rim. In some periods, the convention was to decorate the shield; in others, it was usually left plain.Probably the most famous aspis decoration is that of Sparta (Lacedaemon): a capital lambda (Λ), for Lacedaemon its alternative name (Λακεδαίμων). When his soldiers complained that the barbarians were firing so many arrows at them that the sun was blocked out, Leonidas replied: "Won't it be nice, then, if we shall have shade in which to fight them?" When Xerxes wrote again, demanding Leonidas hand over their arms, he wrote in reply: "Come and take them."