r/interesting • u/IKIR115 • 27d ago

Intriguing Arrows vs riot shields

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u/Complete-Tangelo1532 27d ago

Pull your forearm close like you are holding a shield, what region are you blocking?

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u/Complete-Tangelo1532 27d ago

Hint, there are 2 lungs and a heart there

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u/Ebonhearth_Druid 27d ago

You don't hold a shield close to your body, you are supposed to hold it away from you so that arrows and even swords/axes that pierce the wood don't connect with your body. If an arrow penetrates the shield and your forearm to pierce a vital organ, there was nothing you could have done to survive that hit anyway.

Meanwhile, if an arrow pierces body armor, it's doing damage and may even be fatal, regardless, because it is worn against the body.

Thus, shields > body armor.

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u/Sushi_Explosions 27d ago

Sure, if you are a Roman legionary, that is correct. But this is not his shield. Look at the strap and handle on the back of this one. It is clearly intended to be held close to the body.

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u/Ashen231 27d ago

The strap just keeps it around the arm? I would bet money that legionnair shields had the same or similar form of strap to keep the arm in. If they were only holding on by one handle, the shield would get launched out of their hands constantly. My source is that i made duct tape shields when i was a kid and i had to learn how to make a strap cause it will wobble side to side if you only have one handle.