Today I received an email from a friend and colleague in which, in between other matters, he asked me of my opinion on the Spartan shield devices and whether the blazons were part of a in-battle identification of the Spartan phatries. I must confess that it was a very good question. The question which I will seek to answer briefly has two scales: first to identify the known blazons based on literature and archaeological evidences and second to underlined whether the blazons are identities of the Spartan phatries or representations of other short.
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Starting with the identification of the known shield devices, we will start from the known 1]). Plutarch in his Moralia gives us with a unique Sparta shield device: a life-sized fly (234c.41). Dawkins argues by taking the example of the Proto-Corinthian vase (640-630 B.C.) that non of the illustrated hoplites had a common blazon (see foo[2]).
In the eminent study by Dawkins on the Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia we have numerous evidences of the kind of blazons known and commonly used by the Spartans. The rosette and whirling types are the most common with a number of stars designs. There is also a variety of animals such as boars, water-birds, doves, lions, scorpions, oxheads and cocks, as well as different designed gorgoneia (see posted images; courtesy of the The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies.)
Colours that may have been used — this is a suggestion as we will never be able to know — could be the red, porphyry, blue, yellow and black as we can see from the pottery found in Laconia.
The Chigi Vase (c. 640-630 B.C.)
Pfuhl Meisterwerke Greichescher
Zeichnung und Malerei,
Pl. IV; cf. Ant. Denkmaler,
II. Pl. XLIV.
Proto-Corinthian vase in
Museo Villa Guila, Roma.
Dawkin points out that the shield blazons should be of the military unites — and not just artistic innovation for a religious votive figurines — as they are so alike with the Athenian families’ blazons, which as later studies explained that was not either the case for Athens (see foo[3]). This of course do not suggest that the Spartan blazons could specify Spartan phatries, on the contrary. From the evidences can be seen that there were numerous designed patters even for the same theme — a mass production in the late fifth century should have happen. It seems, thus, that the state’s badges have been introduced much later (early fourth century) when the construction, development and distribution of weaponry was a matter of the state and not of the individual. Looking the material from the seventh until the fifth century you will definitely see the extreme personalization of the Spartan blazons.
The Spartan shield devices, therefore, represents the individual and not the phatries — later the common state shema should introduce the damos and kratos in the battlefield. Aeschylos clearly presents the fact that in his time the character of each hoplite was symbolized by his shield blazon (Septem. 375-652). Even the Lamda should have been in the early fourth century when a greater number of perioikoi, free – helotes and Brasideioi fought as hoplites.
1See Cartledge, ‘Hoplites and Heroes: Sparta’s Contribution to the Technique of Ancient Warfare’, in The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 97., 1977, pp. 11-27.
2Dawkins, R. M. The Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia at Sparta, (London: MacMillan), 1929.
3Robertson study entitled ‘The Gorgon Cups’ (American Journal of Archaeology lxvii, 1958 pp. 64-72) states that the Athenian shield devices were indeed ‘trade marks’ for the artists.
