Talk:Centre boss

Lenticular centre-boss shields were common -- but harder to make (and therefore expensive). Regional "preferences" are an unlikely explaination. To state that lenticular shields "may have been" used is inaccurate -- they certainly were used from ancient times.

In addition, stuffing the leather or rawhide facing of a shield with grass or straw would have been unlikely in the extreme, as it would not have strengthened the shield in any way, and would have been quickly torn to shreds in combat against edged weaponry. The facing of the shield, whether rawhide or cuir bolli, would have been glued to the shield at all points, thus adding to the structural of the shield itself. Painted canvas covers may then have been added, if only because it was cheaper to replace a tattered canvas cover than strip the rawhide from the shield.

An excellent demonstration of this shield-making technique is in the fourth episode of the History Television documentary series "Weapons that Made Britain" -- definietely worth a watch, as it not only includes period shield-construction, but scientific tests of sheild strength between flat and lenticular centre-bosses -- the lenticular shield takes a full-strength blow from a daneaxe and doesn't fail. The flat centre-boss does.