Re: OPLOSAURUS

[Larry Dunn <majestic_cheese@yahoo.com>]

--- "Jaime A. Headden" <qilongia@yahoo.com> wrote:

>   Had fun with this word once, a long time ago.
> "Oplo"
> come from the greek "hoplon", or shield, and was
> applied to the small wrist shield used by
> spear-bearers (similarly called "Hoplites"). 

Not directly dinosaur-related, but nomenclature
related: Let me just clarify that the _hoplon_ was an
enormous shield, not at all a small shield.  

(The common small shield carried by Classical Greek
_psiloi_ (light infantry) or _peltastoi_ (a sort of
jack-of-all-trades soldier who could both fight and
skirmish) was called a _pelta_.)

It's (marginally) relevant here because the hoplites
considered the _hoplon_ to be their primary
protection, eventually abandoning most of the
traditional bronze body armor for a simple linen
corselet, then abandoning all body armor (some even
fought nude).  This, because the big round _hoplon_
was such ample protection all by itself.  Hence the
word for "shield" came to be used as a generic
reference for the protection of a soldier.  

Thus "armored" dinosaurs sometimes use the word for
the big protective heavy infantry shield, the 
_hoplon_ ...

Senatus Populusque Romanus, 


=====
Larry

"Atheism: a non-prophet organization."

http://members.tripod.com/~megalania/index.html
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