Summary The shield is one of the most basic defensive weapons, a hand-held barrier to deflect blows and protect the user from assault. Depictions of shields go back through time to the red hoplite warrior designs on Greek pottery in the 6th and 5th centuries BC. In Britain, shields were certainly in regular use by the Iron Age (751 BC-AD 42), and their first coordinated and highly disciplined use by an army would have occurred during the Roman invasion of AD 43. The Roman shield, or scutum, was made by laminating wood into a curved rectangle. In training, the Roman infantry used wicker shields that were twice as heavy as regulation issue, which prepared the soldiers for the tiring prolonged use of shields in battle. The Romans also employed special shield formations such as the testudo, where shields were locked together to make an impenetrable mobile box of soldiers. These highly disciplined skills were lost as the Romans withdrew from Britain in the 5th century, but some concepts remained, most prominent among them being the shield wall. The Saxon shield wall that was developed subsequently involved rows of infantry interlocking their shields to create an instant barrier that, with rows in depth, could easily obstruct a cavalry charge. By the 11th century, the invading Normans had developed a teardrop-shaped 'kite' shield that protected their cavalry as they turned, enabling them to make repeated charges at a shield wall, such as at Hastings in 1066. In the 13th century, fashion dictated the tiny buckler, a small round shield held in the hand, while the pageantry and heraldic display of the 15th century led to the classic knight's shield. This became less popular as protective armor developed.

• War
• Documentary
• History