Leather & Brass Shield

A shield is a type of personal armor , meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a blow from a sword, mace or battle axe.Shields vary greatly in size, ranging from large panels that protect the user's entire body to small models (such as the buckler) that were intended for hand-to-hand-combat use. The shape of shield  depends on  time and place, shields could be round, oval, square, rectangular, triangular or scalloped.

In prehistory and during the era of the earliest civilizations, shields were made of wood, animal hide, woven reeds or wicker. In classical antiquity, the Migration Period and the Middle Ages, they were normally constructed  of metal, of poplar, lime or another split-resistant timber—covered in some instances with leather and/or reinforced with a metal  rim or banding .

The shield was held by a central grip or by straps which went over or around the user's arm.