Celtic shields
Like many other ancient warriors, the Celts used shields as the main element of defense. It was used by both spearmen and swordsmen. Celtic shields were of various types, both in shape and size, and in the way they were made. They were made from a set of wooden planks or from bronze. They had a metal umbon of various shapes (and sometimes several). The grip was typical for the ancient time-fist. And for reliability, the shields were edged with metal at the edges.
Diagram of the structure of the Celtic shield
Scheme of laying boards in boardsArchaeological finds
There are a huge number of finds on Celtic shields - both archaeological finds of the shields themselves, and pictorial sources on bas-reliefs, vases, and figurines. Interestingly, they are authored not only by the Celts themselves, but also by their opponents. Three La Tène copies, which, unfortunately, have now fallen to pieces, were made of oak. Their thickness in the center was about 1.2 cm and slightly thinned to the edges. Two of them have an Italian-style vertical rib. On the third example, it was not saved. The umbon is convex — so that the hand can hold the handle freely. The latter was made from a separate piece of wood, usually reinforced with an iron strip, and nailed to the shield from the inside. A rectangular iron plate was nailed across the bulge to provide additional protection for the hand. Shields of this type were also found in Denmark and Ireland. They were covered with hide, and we have no reason to doubt that the La Tène shields were also covered with hide, or perhaps felt — the bare wood would have cracked from the chopping blows. Similar, unadorned wooden shields are found in ship burials in Norway. This makes you wonder if they were made specifically for funerals and other ceremonies, as they did in archaic Greece and Italy. In any case, obviously, an organic covering could strengthen a wooden shield, although its absence does not by itself prove a purely ceremonial function. Those Celtic shields depicted in the victory frieze from Pergamum appear to have a skin-tight design. It could be on both sides and doubled on the edge in order to strengthen it. The specimen from Clonure Townland, Tipperary, Ireland, has a shield edge made entirely of leather and stitched through the shield. They also found a metal edge. A La Tènee-type shield with a hide coating could weigh about 6-7 kg (wood about 4 kg, hide about 2 kg, and metal umbon about 250 g). Deliberate heat treatment of every shield is not established by these finds.
1,2 — one of the wooden shields recovered from the lake at La Teng. Neuchatel Museum,Switzerland. 1 — the outer part of the oak shield,which shows a vertical rib and an umbon in the form of an iron strip. 3rd century BCCeltic shields included oval and other forms; depictions show ornament and animal figures. Similarities with the scutum may reflect contact and shared construction solutions, but do not prove a single borrowing route from Italy.
Bosses varied in shape and attachment; a sequence of particular finds should not become a universal model for every region. Richly decorated metal facings, such as the Battersea find, require separate consideration of function. Surviving bronze may be the facing of a lost wooden backing, not an entirely metal shield.
Related topics
Literature and sources
- Connolly P. Greece and Rome. Encyclopedia of Military History. Eksmo-Press. Moscow,2000. Translated by S. Lopukhova and A. Khromova.
- Mongayt A. L. Archeology of Western Europe: The Bronze and Iron Ages, Moscow: Nauka Publ.,1974. - Celts Lords of Battles-Stephen Allen. pdf
Votive bronze shield. The British Museum. 350-50 BC
Votive bronze shield. The British Museum. 350-50 BC
Votive bronze shield. Found in the Thames near Battersea Bridge,London. The British Museum. 350-50 BC
Celtic shield. Neuchâtel,Switzerland. 7th-2nd century BC
Celtic bronze shield. Found in Britain. The British Museum. 4th-3rd century BC
Votive bronze shield. The British Museum. 350-50 BC
Celtic wooden shield. 120-50 BC
Shields from Hjertspring. Historical Museum,Copenhagen. 4th-3rd century BCInterested in Ancient Rome beyond reading? Join Legio X Fretensis or explore our reenactment directions.
