Historical Treasures
The Battersea Shield
Archeological evidence indicates that during the Iron Age Celtic warriors were prestigious, high-status members of that society. Many of them were buried with elaborately decorated weapons, horses and even chariots, presumably for ceremonial or religious reasons. As a result, the majority of shields are often discovered in burial sites.
Celtic shields were usually made of wood such as oak and covered in leather. It’s thought that shields were generally lightweight, to make them more comfortable for the warriors to hold and carry. Typically, shields were oval in shape but they could also be circular, rectangular or even hexagonal. The differences in shape and size can be seen geographically, as shields from Northern Europe are usually long and flat while those found in the Mediterranean tend to be shorter and rounder.
Either way, the shields were usually long enough – around 1.1m – to protect the majority of the body, although the Celts in Britain tended to use smaller shields than those based on the Continent. Shields also featured a round boss or umbo, which was designed to protect the hand holding the handgrip on the inside.
Iron Age weapons and armour were often highly ornate and La Tène, a distinctive decorative style that uses intricate spirals and curves, was frequently used on metalwork. This elaborate type of decoration has been found on surviving swords, spearheads, helmets, jewellery and, of course, many shields. Bronze decorative facings were often placed on shields but they could be easily damaged and were not suitable for warfare – they provided very little protection if they were not used with a wooden shield underneath.
While British Celtic shields have been discovered in areas such as Lincolnshire and Surrey, arguably the most famous and important one to be unearthed is the Battersea Shield. It was excavated from the River Thames in 1857 and named after Battersea Bridge, which stands at the location where the shield was found. The Celts threw many weapons like swords and shields into rivers as votive offerings to their gods, with many of them thrown into the Thames. The Battersea Shield is currently on display at the British Museum.