Ancient Greek life size Spartan shield bearing the capital lambda, the fearsome symbol of the Lacedaemonians. The shield, aspis in Greek, was carried by Greek infantry (hoplites) of various periods and is often referred to as a hoplon.. A hoplon shield was a deeply dished shield made of wood. Some shields had a thin sheet of bronze on the outer face, often just around the rim. In some periods, the convention was to decorate the aspis; in others, it was usually left plain. Probably the most famous aspis decoration is that of Sparta: a capital lambda (“Λ”) as in this case. (more on Spartan Art of War…)
