Shields and round shields are the oldest defensive weapons used by warriors to protect themselves from the attacks with other offensive weapons. They are placed in one of the arms, leaving free the other arm in order to counterattack.
The shield and the round shield have been used by every single human culture to fight in the distance and also hand to hand.
Through the centuries and across the different regions it has adapted tactically to ensure warriors’ best protection. In the beginning they were made of leather, then of metal such as copper, iron, bronze, and later on, of wood.
We will find them square, round, rectangular or heraldry.
They were beautifully decorated with relieves and luxurious insets for gala tournaments. In the western culture it involved support to individual personality elements related to the person carrying it, with a composititon of the coat of arms, which gave birth to heraldry.
Scutum was the shield of the Roman Empire used by legionnaires. It had a big size and it was an excellent defense for Roman legionnaires, without its weight being an inconvenience to the person carrying it.
Protected behind it, the legionnaire neutralised the onsets from the enemies, so that from this sheltered posititon, could attack with his gladius or with his pungius. Its use was essential in the turtle-shape formation, commonly used by Roman legions during the fightings.
