Ancient Roman Brooches.
Buckler stands in the authorized version as the representative of the following Heb. words: 1. "<~z, magen' \ protecting'), a smaller and more portable shield (2 Sam. xxii, 31; 1 Chron. v. 18; Job xv, 26; Psa xviii. 2, 30; 1'rov. ii, 7; Cant, iv, 4; Jer. xlvi, 3; elsewhere "shield"). 2. IT^rib, socherah' (from its surrounding the person), occurs but once figuratively
BUCKLER
906
BUDDEUS
(Psa. xci, 4). 3. ilSS, tsinnah' (a covering), a large shield protecting the whole body ("buckler," Psa. xxxv, 2 ; Ezek. xxiii, -4 ; xxvi, 8 ; xxxviii, 4 ; xxxix, 9; elsewhere "shield'' or "target," the c'tcnrig of Ecclus. xxxvii, 5). 4. !T2"i, ro'mach (from its pierc- ing), a lance or spear (as it is often rendered, improp- erly " buckler" in 1 Chron. xii, 8). See Armor.
The buckler or shield was a principal piece of pro- tective armor with ancient warriors, being worn in connection both with the spear and the bow (2 Chron. xiv, 8 ; xvii, 17 ; Jer. vi, 23). Of the above names for this implement, the socherah, according to Jahn, designates the targe or round form (see Gesenius, Thes. p. 947). Two others of these terms (combined in Ezek. xxxix, 9: Jer. xlvi, 3) appear to denote respectively the small (mageri) and the large {tsinnah) kind, the lat- ter screening the entire person (Virg. sEn. ii, 227 ; Tyrta?i Carm. ii, 23 sq.), as is evident from 1 Kings x* 1C, 17 ; 2 Chron. ix, 16. The Mishna (Chelim, xxiv, 1) names three species of shield, the large (O^in ~"2-n), the middle, used in discipline, and the small (S"1"1""1"!"! r:£^"l). The larger kind probably pro- tected even the head (Josephus, Ant. vi, 5, 1; comp. Biod. Sic. v, 30). In like manner, among the Greeks and Romans a small shield was called Srvptoc, (oaxoc. in Homer), scutum, and a large one comic, clypeus (comp. Josephus, War. iii, 5, 5). It is uncertain, how- ever, whether the Ileb. shields were of the same form ; we only know that the later Jews in the time of the Romans carried oval shields (see Jahn, Archaol. II, ii, pi. 11, 6, 8 ; those of the Egyptians being rounded only at the top, Wilkinson, i, 298 sq.). The word B^IE she'let, which the old translators give very variously, designates probably the shield, and indeed those used on state occasions (Jer. Ii, 11 ; Ezek. xxvii, 11 ; Cant, iv, 4), rather than quiver. The (larger) shields were generally of wood (comp. Pliny, xvi, 77 ; Virg. JEn. vii, C32), and covered with thick leather (especially hippopotamus hide, Pliny, viii, 39; but the skins of other pachydermatous animals are still employed in Africa; see Riippell, Arab. p. 34; Pallme, Beschreib. von Kordqfan, p. 42) or metal. Leather shields (Iliad, v, 452 ; xii, 425) consisted either of simple undressed ox (or elephant) hide (Herod, vii, 91 ; Strabo, xvii, p. 820, 828), or of several thicknesses of leather, some- times also embossed with metal (Iliad, vii, 219 sq. ; xii, 294 sq.) ; hence those captured from foes might be burnt (Ezek. xxxix, 9). The leather of shields re- quired oiling (2 Sam. i, 21 ; Isa. xxi, 5 ; comp. " lseves clypei," Virg. JSn. vii, 026), so that they should not injure by moisture ; hence they gleamed in the dis- tance; sometimes they were even smeared with blood (Nali. ii, 4 [?]), so as to present a frightful appear- ance. Copper ("brazen") shields were, as it appears (1 Sam. xvii. 6; 1 Kings xiv, 27), also in use (comp. XaXtcaoiriSiQ for heavy-armed troops, in Polyb. iv, 69, 4 ; v, 91, 7) ; as even gold ones in the equipment of the general (1 Mace, vi, 39), i.e. probably studded with gold ; although those named in 1 Kings x, 16 sq. ; xiv, 26, as shields of parade (comp. the silver shields of Pliny, viii, 82), borne before the king in festive pro- cessions (1 Kings xiv, 28), may well have been of mass- ive metal (comp. the golden shields of the Carthagin- ian-. Pliny, xxxv, .",; on the overlaying of shields [with gold, ivory, etc], sec Athen. xii, 534; among tin- Humans every shield was inscribed with the sol- dier's name. \V et. Milit. ii, 18). The same custom appears also in the gold shields sent as gifts of honor to Home (1 Mace, xiv, 24; XV, 18; comp. 1 Mace, vi, '.': Josephus, A i>i. xiv, 8, 5; Sueton. Caiig. 16). Bur- in- a march the Soldiers carried their shields (covered
with a leather case, aayfta or ZXvrpov, involucra, as a protection from dust, Isa. xx, 6; comp. the Schol. ad Ari8toph. Acharn. 571; Plutarch, Lucvtt. 26; Csesar, Bell. Gall, ii, 21 ; Cicero, Nat. Dear, ii, 14) hanging on
their shoulder (Iliad, xvi, 803) ; but in the camp by a strap on the left arm (Iliad, xvi, 802 ; Virg. JEn. ii, 671 sq. ; 'Pliny, xxxiii, 4 ; ^Elian, Var. Hist, xi, 9 ; hence the phrase {-k aa-nica, Xenoph. Ci/rop. vii, 5, 6; Arrian, Alex, i, 6, 12, means on the shield side, or left, comp. Anab. iv, 3, 26). See generally Ortlob, De scu- tis et clypeis Hebr. (Lips. 1718) ; Caryophilus, De cly- peis veil. (Lugd. Bat. 1751); Spanheim, ad Julian, p. 241; Jahn, Archaol. II, ii, 401 sq. ; on the Homeric shield, Kopke, Kriegswes. der Griech. p. 108 sq. The decoration of the Jewish palaces (1 Kings x, 16 ; xiv, 26 ; Cant, iv, 4 ; comp. Philo, Opp. ii, 591) and Tem- ple (1 Mace, iv, 57 ; vi, 2 ; comp. Strabo, xiii, 600 ; Arrian, Alex, vi, 9, 6; Pliny, xxxv, 3) with golden shields was a peculiar practice. In the Temple at Je- rusalem the shields of David were suspended as me- mentoes (2 Kings x, 10) ; see Rexrath, De clypeis in loco sacro suspensis (Lips. 1737). The suspension of the shields of Tyre in Ezek. xxvii, 10, 11, is a military allusion, by way of ostentation, to the ensigns of for- eign nations displayed as allies (see Henderson, Com- ment, in loc). See Shield.