av Angus Maciomhair » 26 november 2004, 18:07
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Bengt</i>
Detta var ett email från Siddorn som jag sparat som en wordfil.
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I så fall ber jag så hemskt mycket om ursäkt. Mailkonversationer där man själv är delaktig ska man givetvis kunna citera. Jag klipper in texten nedan.
Radbrytningarna fick mig direkt att associera till en websida. När ni citerar längre texter, ange gärna källan.
/Klant-Angus
***Siddorns text***
"I was asked to produce a shield for testing in a TV programme "Genius of the Vikings" aired in the UK on Channel Five and soon to be TX'd around the world on the National Geographic channel. I was determined that it should represent the technology available 1,000 years ago in a balanced fashion and take as little account as possible of long cherished notions of what our ancestors did and didn't do.
Some years ago, I did some sharp weapon testing on shields made of various timbers. Evidence is thin indeed, but the archaeological record shows that shields were made from just about any timber there was available. Although it is commonly accepted that lime wood was the favoured shield wood in "the Viking Age" , the shield made from lime
planks (linden) fared no better than one might expect of a fairly soft wood. Weapons sank into it, were hard to retrieve – a dubious advantage to both attacker and attacked if ever there was one!) and it generally behaved like a shield made of a soft wood! One saving
grace was that it would not split readily and cuts along the grain did not run out to the edge unless the wedging action of the weapon was greater than usual. Pine planked shields shattered on impact and were very spectacular both to the user and the onlooker. The attacker just enjoyed himself. ;o))
Green oak was heavy but quite good, although it got very brittle after it had dried out (perhaps six months). Elm was good but far too heavy. It was almost impossible to get through the timber, but you'd have to be Thor to carry it!
To be brief, I found that ash wood fared better than other timbers. It is hard and springy, deflects most blows and is very difficult indeed to penetrate. It is particularly resistant to spear and arrow hits as the grain does not open up easily – most missiles just bounce off. On the other hand it is quite a heavy wood and when it does give up, can split out along the grain or break out over a short section.
As to facings, I experimented with linen, rawhide and traditionally tanned leather attached with cheese glue. When dry, the rawhide was so good, light and flexible that it was quite capable of being used on its own. It was hard and dense and very difficult indeed to penetrate. The problem was keeping it dry in the field (in the military sense) – even a humid day made a difference. Overnight dewfall was enough to soften it beyond use sometimes and a rainstorm just before a battle would have been viewed as a disaster by both sides if so equipped! The same applies, of course, to it's use as a shield facing. Stretched really tight by drying and shrinking in place, it made an excellent materiel with which to cover the rim and stop weapons cutting into the end grain.
I found it was nearly as good as metal in this context, plus the fact that it compacted the planks by shrinkage.
Leather was OK and certainly helped the shield absorb blows, but it was not much help in stopping the wood from shattering beneath the facing as the collagens at the glue line invariably peeled away from the rest of the leather, something that did not happen with rawhide. It was also surprisingly heavy when added to the overall weight of the shield.
Heavy linen proved to be the best facing materiel by far. The glue soaked right through it (something I never managed to do with rawhide or leather) and it stuck to the wood in a true composite bond, supporting the timber and changing its ability to absorb damage in a
way never achieved by a leather facing. It was light in weight and readily available to our ancestors.
So, when invited to provide a shield for testing, I commissioned a flat shield of ash planks, covered in glued on linen and edged with rawhide. The face was then painted with a simple two-colour design in white and red.
The experiments took place at the Royal College of Military Science near Salisbury. At the laboratory, I was asked to provide a specimen series of blows with a strain gauged long axe. The average of these figures was used to programme the drop hammer into which was fitted a typical sharp edged axe head. None of the blows of this strength penetrated the shield even when it was turned in line with the grain.
In the end the weight of the blow was doubled and then it did penetrate. The cut in the timber did not split out of the grain and it remained fit for further immediate use as a defence in battle. I have it yet if anyone would care to examine it.
I also provided short arrows and spear heads for use in an air cannon, several different test pieces of wood of various types with linen, leather and rawhide facings, but we were unable to find the time to film their testing.
I was completely satisfied with the shield experiment. I felt it did demonstrate the ability of a well-made fairly lightweight shield, constructed from available materials, to defend its user from the wrath of his enemy.
Kim Siddorn"
***slut text***