"The shield is made of a single sheet of bronze about 27 inches in diameter and just .5mm thick. It has a central boss with a handle riveted to the back of it."
"The shields were made in a complex process that required hundreds of rounds of hammering, heating and cooling. It required a high level of expertise and can only have been achieved by specialists with years of education and experience."
"The shields have been found deposited in bogs or waterways and may have been ceremonial or display versions of the more practical wooden and leather shields used in combat."
A Bronze Age shield, discovered in Beith, North Ayrshire, around 1779, is returning to Scotland for the first time since 1791. It will be displayed at National Museums Scotland alongside five other Bronze Age shields. The shield, made of bronze and decorated with concentric rings, was found in a group, indicating a ritual purpose. Only 22 similar shields are known, primarily found in Britain, suggesting a specialized production process by skilled artisans. The shields may have served ceremonial roles rather than practical combat use.
Read at www.thehistoryblog.com
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