Shields

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SHIELDS IN THE ZETAN MEDIEVAL STORE

Scutum , shield is a term that designates an element designed with a purely defensive character, although on certain occasions it is also used as an offensive device. It is held in one of the two arms, depending on whether the soldier is right-handed or left-handed. It is perhaps one of the first defensive weapons used in history. Its use has been known since the third millennium BC. Losing its interest from the seventeenth century due to the massive use of firearms. It was a totally necessary element in hand-to-hand combat, adapting its structure to different times, improving the materials from which they were made.

Among the different types of shields that have left the most imprint in history, we can undoubtedly mention the aspis , used by the Greeks until the 4th century BC. They had a circular shape and were made of wood and bronze; the bucklers, made of wood or steel, which were used until the 17th century; or the Roman scutum , the most famous of all times because they were the distinctive element of the Roman Empire and were characterized by being rectangular or oval, with its wooden core covered in metal sheets.

Today the shields are also used by the security forces of modern states in their mission to restore civil order.

The shape of the shields also evolved from rectangular or oval to triangular with the same width as height. In the same way, the mode of fastening did not remain fixed, being able to find couplings to the arm in a vertical, diagonal or horizontal way. In the rest position, the shield was carried on a shoulder strap hanging from straps.

HOW THE SHIELDS ARE MEDIEVAL SHIELDS

On the inside of the shield is where the clamps are located to hold it to the arm. The outer part is the one that opposed the enemy. In it we can see the umbo, which was a metallic element whose main mission was to protect the hand from the blows that the shield received in battle.

The central body of the shield was a wooden frame to which several sheets of wood were also attached in order to give the shield greater resistance. We could also find, but in a much smaller number, shields made entirely of leather or skin, most of the shields were made up of a wooden body. This body could be formed by a single piece or by several smaller pieces glued together. To add greater resistance, it could be made up of one or several sheets of wood that were superimposed perpendicularly. Although there were also several types of shields made entirely of leather or skin.

TYPES OF GREEK AND ROMAN SHIELDS

                Aspis .- Used by the Greeks. Made of wood covered with copper or bronze

                Pelta.- Typical of the Persian, Thracian and Macedonian Greeks. It was shaped like a crescent.

                Clípeo.- Greeks and Romans habitually used them. It has a circular or oval shape and is made of wood covered with metal.

                Scutum .- Typical of the Roman legions, made with 3 superimposed layers of wood. It is a large rectangular shield between 90 and 110 cm high by 90 cm wide.

Parma. - It is a much smaller and lighter shield than the Scutum used mainly by the Roman cavalry. Also made of wood.

Pavés shield. - Used by Assyrians, Greeks and Romans. It was a large shield that stuck into the ground and protected the archers.

HISTORY OF CELTIC SHIELDS

In the sculptures of the Celtic warriors you can see their well-known elongated shield, with its well-known umbo. When we see them, we have no doubt that we are before a work of art. Celtic shields were made of wood and leather with metal pins, and to increase their strength they had an umbo on the outside. The shields used for ceremonies were normally made of bronze, richly decorated. We can cite as an appreciable paradigm of these ceremonial shields, is the Battersea shield , which is in the British Museum. The shield was found in the River Thames, and dates from the period between 350 and 50 c. C. It is forged with a bronze plate, and profusely decorated with projections, stampings and chiseling. to which it was probably thrown as a votive offering. The shield, which dates from between 350 and 50 B.C. C., is made of a bronze sheet decorated with reliefs, engravings and embossing.

Other manifestations of Celtic art we can mention the Witham shield and the Wandsworth umbo. Both have also been recovered in English rivers. This custom of the Celts of getting rid of their shields by throwing them into the rivers was notable in terms of their state of preservation, which facilitated the work of archaeologists. The umbo of Whitman 's shield (400-300 BC) is decorated with parts of red coral. In the Wandsworth umbo (350-150 BC) their ornament consists of bird heads with eagle beaks.

The best known of the Celtic shields, called caetra by the Latins , was round in shape, made of leather or wood. It had a metallic umbo. Used by the infantry and the cavalry, it used to be carried, when they were not in battle, hanging from the back. Its dimension could be smaller than two Roman feet (1 foot = 0.296 meters), although in artistic expressions found in Numancia, the size of its diameter was close to 50 centimeters. It seems that cavalry caetra were basically larger. They all had a metal umbo.

There was also another type of caetra , concave on the outside, more often it was convex, made of leather or wood decorated with drawings. They were about 5/10 mm. of thickness. Some models of these shields were very small, just a gauntlet, and were used in hand-to-hand combat, since the warrior enjoyed great mobility that compensated for the lack of protection of a larger shield.

The pageantry was an inherent part of the Celtic, to the point that they gave names to the different weapons they used. In one of its legends there appears a shield called Ochain , and it had magical properties. When its owner was in danger, the shield would scream loudly, and this scream made all the other shields in Ulster scream with it at the same time.

As we have said before, we can mainly find two types of Celtic shields. The round or curved ones, and the elongated and flat ones with an umbo in the outer central part of the shield. These umbos could take circular or rib shapes. They also had an internal cavity to facilitate the grip and operation of the shield. However, there was a small objection, and it was that the chief could put the warrior in trouble. After some time the concavities and the umbos were getting bigger. When the shield was used for ceremonial rites, the artisans were busy decorating the umbo and the head

Examples of the decoration of the Celtic shields can be found in the Witham shield , found in this British river, and in the Battersea shield , found in the Thames River .

Celtic shields, as we have already explained, were an essential element of the Celtic warfare equipment, in the Iron Age and in the early Middle Ages. They inhabited most of Europe and Asia Minor from 1200 BC until Roman domination in the 1st century BC. They were mostly circular in shape and their material was wood covered with leather or animal skins. They were usually decorated with different themes, which gave the shield a symbolic aura. In order to be perfectly appreciated on the battlefield, many of them were painted in very bright colors, such as red and yellow.

There was a great diversity of sizes, more regularly they were large shields , capable of covering the warrior in its entirety. Its diameter could reach a meter. Another characteristic of Celtic shields was that, despite their size, they were extremely light, and allowed the warrior great mobility, an essential element on the battlefield, and above all, in hand-to-hand combat. At the same time that the shield was an element of defense, it was also an element of attack. With them, the Celts could push and pummel enemies by drawing the sword over the shield. The shields were also used to form a kind of wall , with the warriors standing in a row, one next to the other. With this wall of shields they safeguarded the other warriors who were behind the aforementioned wall.

The types of Celtic shields are different, depending on the time and place of origin:

Round shield : The typical and most common Celtic shield, especially in the Iron Age. Circular in shape, it was made of wood and animal skin. The decoration was also an intrinsic part of the shield.

Oval shield : As its name indicates, this shield was oval. It also differed from the previous one in that it was longer. It began to be used in the first medieval era when the Celts had to face enemies that used cavalry as an element of attack.

Teardrop-shaped shield: This type of shield was a rare bird within the world of celas. Its shape was reminiscent of a teardrop.

Square shield : Square in shape, it is used mainly in Gaul and the Iberian Peninsula. It was considered a very effective weapon, never reaching popularity more than the round shield.

Scythian Shield : Shield shared with other towns, and not only by the Celts who used it habitually at the end of the Iron Age. It was made of strong leather. Its shape was rectangular with a slight curve towards the lower end of the shield.

We cannot say which is the best of the shields, since each one has its advantages and disadvantages. The type of shield was decided by the combat strategy and the kind of enemy they were going to face. But they all have something in common, their toughness and their ability to adapt.

As we have inferred from everything previously developed, the shield for the Celtic individual was not only a weapon, but something else that affected their character as a Celtic both culturally and what they did on a daily basis. For this reason, with respect to their shields, they developed a customary set.

Decoration of shields : It was a widespread custom among Celtic warriors to decorate their shields with different themes, because they thought that this way the shield offered a kind of magical protection on the battlefield. It is easy to see in the spiral decorations and Celtic knots.

The oath of the shield : A solemn oath was made before going into battle, on the shield. The oath constituted a commitment to fight with bravery and dignity, in addition to helping the partner who was in difficulty during combat. The violation of this oath was an act that entailed very serious consequences against the offender, to the point that he could be excluded from the tribe.

Shields as Status Symbols: The best and most beautifully decorated shields were generally carried by high-ranking Celtic personages.

The ceremony of the broken shield : Also called "breaking of the broken shield", it was a rite carried out by the Celtic soldier, to compensate his lost honor and recover his social position in the tribe, after having lost his shield in combat. In this ceremony the shield was broken into many pieces and those remains of the shield were burned in a bonfire.

The shields as offerings : The shield for the Celts was also a piece with which to honor their gods through their offering. If the shield was located in an enclave considered sacred by Celtic culture, it wanted to express a sign of gratitude for the help of God in battle.

As a summary we can say that the Celtic shields were mostly rounded, made of wicker or metal. Those of the Gauls and Irish, were also larger , of different aspects, since we could appreciate oval and longer shields. Sometimes we can find rectangular shields. All the shields were painted and decorated.

The Celts inhabited high fortified sites called castros . Celtic warriors were not friendly looking. They used animal skins to cover themselves. As weapons they used swords, spears and slings, and of course they never parted with their shield. They went into battle naked and painted blue , while shouting and hitting their shields, creating a thunderous atmosphere that intimidated, on the contrary. Each warrior made his shield and decorated it himself. Some of these have a very remarkable artistic quality. In this way, within the Celtic people, we could not find two identical shields.

MEDIEVAL SHIELDS

Targe shield.- Scottish shield . It was a light shield made of wood and covered in leather.

triangle shield. - 13th to 15th centuries. It is worth noting the different ways of gripping, in horizontal, vertical and diagonal strips.

                Tavulaccio .- Oval and used by the Italians at the end of the 13th century. It is a variation of the Roman Scutum .

buckler. - Light weight shield, although very resistant against spears and swords used by the cavalry of Al-Andalus. Later it was also used by Christians.

Tally. -Small shield used mainly in medieval tournaments. It usually wore the emblems of the knight as decoration.

Chimalli. - Shield used by the Aztecs between the 15th and 16th centuries. It was made of different materials, among which was hardened leather on a reed base.

Buckler. -Shield mainly designed for fighting with swords, in personal duels, and on more than one occasion it was used by light cavalry. Made of wood covered with leather.

In our Zetan Medieval store you can buy all kinds of shields for decoration such as the shield of Ricardo Corazón de León, Templar shields, Vikings, Roman scutum or shields made in Toledo. We also have functional battle-ready re-enactment shields that you can customize to your liking and LARP.