Shields & Scutums
Showing 49–75 of 75 results
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Viking Dragon Shield
SKU: AH4374A hand-painted Viking shield featuring dragon and serpent knotwork, one of the most significant decorative traditions of the Viking Age, most famously carved onto the prows of longships.
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Viking Fox Shield
SKU: AH3993A hand-painted Viking shield featuring a fox motif — worth noting honestly that unlike the wolf Fenrir or Odin's ravens, the fox does not carry a single major named role in surviving Norse mythology, and this piece is best understood as a decorative animal motif within the broader Norse artistic tradition rather than a reference to one specific myth.
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Viking Horse Shield
SKU: AH4370A hand-painted Viking shield featuring a horse motif, an animal that held deep significance in Norse culture — from Odin's eight-legged steed Sleipnir to the horse sacrifices and feasts documented as part of Viking Age religious practice.
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Crusader Lion Shield, Black and Red II
SKU: AH3894NIn the medieval period, it was a common sight to see a knight’s heraldry emblazoned on his shield, a system of identification that let allies and enemies alike recognise a warrior at a glance amid the chaos of battle. This wooden Crusader shield features a black and red rampant lion as its main charge, offering an alternative build to our other black and red lion shield. The rampant lion, shown rearing on its hind legs, symbolised courage and nobility, a popular choice across countless noble and knightly coats of arms.
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Crusader Eagle Shield
SKU: AH3890EIn the medieval period, it was a common sight to see a knight’s heraldry emblazoned on his shield, a system of identification that let allies and enemies alike recognise a warrior at a glance amid the chaos of battle. This wooden Crusader shield features a black, red and white rampant eagle as its main charge. The eagle, a symbol of imperial authority since Roman times, remained a powerful heraldic charge throughout the medieval period, adopted by emperors, kings and noble houses alike.
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In the medieval period, it was a common sight to see a knight’s heraldry emblazoned on his shield, a system of identification that let allies and enemies alike recognise a warrior at a glance amid the chaos of battle. This wooden Crusader shield features a black and white rampant lion as its main charge, one of the most common heraldic beasts across medieval Europe. The rampant lion, shown rearing on its hind legs, symbolised courage and nobility, a popular choice across countless noble and knightly coats of arms.
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In the medieval period, it was a common sight to see a knight’s heraldry emblazoned on his shield, a system of identification that let allies and enemies alike recognise a warrior at a glance amid the chaos of battle. This wooden Crusader shield features a black and red rampant lion as its main charge, one of the most common heraldic beasts across medieval Europe. The rampant lion, shown rearing on its hind legs, symbolised courage and nobility, a popular choice across countless noble and knightly coats of arms.
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Shield Boss, Embossed Decoration
SKU: AH6755BA shield boss, or umbo, is a round, convex or conical piece of material fitted at the centre of a shield, covering the handgrip while presenting a hardened striking point. This version carries embossed decoration across its surface, a treatment seen on higher-status surviving and depicted historical examples. A striking centrepiece suited to a wearer or collector wanting a more decorative shield build.
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Shield Boss, Compact
SKU: AH6754A shield boss, or umbo, is a round, convex or conical piece of material fitted at the centre of a shield, covering the handgrip while presenting a hardened point that could also serve as an offensive striking surface. This compact boss offers a smaller, lighter option suited to smaller shields or bucklers. Made of thick metal, it retains genuine protective and structural function despite its reduced size.
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Shield Boss, Brass, Domed
SKU: AH6753BA shield boss, or umbo, is a round, convex or conical piece of material fitted at the centre of a shield, covering the handgrip while presenting a hardened point that could also serve as an offensive striking surface. This brass boss carries a rounded, domed profile, offering an alternative shape to our conical boss options. A decorative and functional centrepiece suited to a range of round shield builds.
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Shield Boss, Brass
SKU: AH6752BA shield boss, or umbo, is a round, convex or conical piece of material fitted at the centre of a shield, covering the handgrip while presenting a hardened point that could also serve as an offensive striking surface. This boss is worked in brass, offering a bright, reflective finish distinct from a plain steel build. A decorative centrepiece suited to a shield build prioritising visual presence alongside function.
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Shield Boss, Standard Round
SKU: AH6751A shield boss, or umbo, is a round, convex or conical piece of material fitted at the centre of a shield, covering the handgrip while presenting a hardened point that could also serve as an offensive striking surface. This standard round boss offers classic, versatile coverage over the shield’s central handgrip. Made of thick metal, it suits a wide range of round shield builds.
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Shield Boss, Large Conical
SKU: AH6750A shield boss, or umbo, is a round, convex or conical piece of material fitted at the centre of a shield, covering the handgrip while presenting a hardened point that could also serve as an offensive striking surface. This large conical boss offers substantial coverage over the shield’s central handgrip, made of thick metal for genuine protective and structural value. A prominent, imposing centrepiece suited to a full-sized round shield build.
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Dura-Europos Legionary Scutum, Museum Pattern
SKU: AH6718LScutum is the Latin word for shield, though in modern usage it has come to specifically mean the rectangular, semi-cylindrical body shield carried by Roman legionaries. This reproduction is modelled on the Dura-Europos scutum, the only surviving example of this classic semi-cylindrical form, excavated from a Syrian frontier city destroyed in 256 AD and now held at the Yale University Art Gallery. The original was built from three layers of thin wooden strips covered in painted fabric and hide, decorated with an eagle and laurel wreath, winged Victories, and a lion — decoration this reproduction recreates.
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Centurion’s Scutum
SKU: AH6711The scutum was the primary form of body protection carried by Roman soldiers, deflecting incoming missiles as well as absorbing the impact of hand-held weapons in close combat. This reproduction recreates the officer-grade scutum associated with the centurion, commander of roughly eighty men within a Roman legion. Styled and finished to reflect a centurion’s rank, distinct from the standard-issue shield of the ordinary legionary.
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Praetorian Guard Oval Scutum
SKU: AH6710The Praetorians used an oval shield early in their history, a form confirmed by a surviving tombstone from Aquileia, in continuous use into the reign of Domitian (81 to 96 AD). This distinguishes Praetorian shield practice from the rectangular scutum more commonly associated with the ordinary legionary of the same period. This reproduction recreates that oval Praetorian pattern, styled after Rome’s elite imperial bodyguard.
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Republican Scutum, Oval Pattern III
SKU: AH6128The scutum was the primary form of body protection carried by Roman soldiers, deflecting incoming missiles as well as absorbing the impact of hand-held weapons in close combat. This reproduction offers a further alternative build within our Republican-pattern scutum range, recreating the oval form that preceded the rectangular Imperial shield. Vertical curvature helped deflect blows while the oval profile maintained broad frontal coverage.
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Republican Scutum, Oval Pattern II
SKU: AH6127The scutum was the primary form of body protection carried by Roman soldiers, deflecting incoming missiles as well as absorbing the impact of hand-held weapons in close combat. This reproduction offers an alternative build to our other Republican-pattern scutum, recreating the oval form that preceded the rectangular Imperial shield. Vertical curvature helped deflect blows while the oval profile maintained broad frontal coverage.
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The scutum was the primary form of body protection carried by Roman soldiers, deflecting incoming missiles as well as absorbing the impact of hand-held weapons in close combat. This reproduction recreates the rectangular, semi-cylindrical scutum adopted in the Augustan era, the shield most associated with the ordinary legionary infantryman. Its curved shape improved lateral protection and made it a key element of the testudo formation, the famous shield-wall tactic used against missile fire.
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Roman Arena Shield, Linen Covered
SKU: AH3992LThe scutum was the primary form of body protection carried by Roman soldiers, deflecting incoming missiles as well as absorbing the impact of hand-held weapons in close combat. This version reflects the shields used in the Roman arena, adapted from military scutum design for use by certain classes of gladiator. Finished with a linen covering, this reproduction combines historical construction technique with a genuine arena aesthetic.
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Republican Scutum, Oval Pattern
SKU: AH3877The scutum was the primary form of body protection carried by Roman soldiers, deflecting incoming missiles as well as absorbing the impact of hand-held weapons in close combat. This reproduction recreates the oval scutum of the Republican period, the form that preceded the more famous rectangular Imperial shield. Vertical curvature helped deflect blows while the oval profile maintained broad frontal coverage, a genuine tactical improvement over the earlier round shields derived from Etruscan and Greek tradition.
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Roman Scutum, Unpainted Blank
SKU: AH3853NPThe scutum was the primary form of body protection carried by Roman soldiers, deflecting incoming missiles as well as absorbing the impact of hand-held weapons in close combat. This unpainted scutum blank gives re-enactors and hobbyists a genuine base to decorate with their own unit colours or personal design. Built to correct scutum proportions and curvature, it’s ready for painting rather than pre-finished.
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Roman Scutum, Legio XIIII Pattern, Linen Covered
SKU: AH3853LThis traditional Roman scutum is built from painted linen-covered hardwood, decorated in the classic red and yellow pattern associated with Legio XIIII. A wooden brace on the back gives the shield a curve tighter than 9 inches, following genuine scutum construction principles for improved lateral protection. Measuring approximately 42″ x 33″, this reproduction recreates a specific, identifiable legionary unit’s shield markings.
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Roman Scutum Cover, White with Red Detailing
SKU: AH3853CCThis scutum cover is designed to cover and protect a Roman shield, finished with a white field and red detailing. Shield covers served a genuine practical purpose historically, protecting a scutum’s painted surface from weather and wear when not in active use. A practical accessory suited to protecting a scutum in storage or during transport.
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Laconia Shield, Decorated Hoplon Pattern
SKU: AH6139/TH007This decorated variation of the traditional hoplon shield takes its name from Laconia, the region of Greece also known as Lacedaemonia, homeland of ancient Sparta. Laconia’s hoplite tradition, most famously embodied by Spartan warriors, placed enormous cultural weight on the shield as a symbol of duty and discipline. This reproduction recreates that decorated hoplite shield tradition.
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Greek Hoplite Shield, 23-Inch, Embossed Boss
SKU: AH3721This metal shield with leather covering and an embossed boss measures 23 inches in diameter. The historical Greek hoplite shield, properly called the aspis (often popularly called the hoplon), was a deeply dished wooden shield distinguished by its unique two-point Argive grip. Rather than a simple central handle, the Argive grip placed an armband, or porpax, at the centre for the forearm, with a separate handle, the antilabe, near the rim for the hand — a genuinely distinctive design among ancient shields.
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The targe is one of the most iconic defensive arms of the Scottish Highland warrior, deeply associated with the final chapter of the Jacobite rising at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. This reproduction is crafted from wood overlaid with leather bearing an embossed Celtic design, with a brass shield boss and numerous brass studs, and a suede leather back with an integrated pocket for a 6¼-inch steel spike. Unlike most shields, the targe was not discarded as firearms came to dominate the battlefield — its thick wooden core could stop grapeshot and deflect musket balls as well as blades.
