Painted Roman Scutum (long shield)
What it is: A wooden and leather shield used by a Roman soldier in battle.
Where it is from: Dura-Europos, Syria.
When it was made: Second century A.D.
What it tells us about the past:
This tall, semi-cylindrical shield,y, is one of the few surviving examples of a Roman "scutum," the most popular shield type from the fourth century B.C. to the third century A.D. It was excavated from the ancient city of Dura-Europos in Syria nearly a century ago, and probably belonged to a Roman soldier who lost his life in battle.
The Dura-Europos shield gives archaeologists a huge amount of information about how this piece of armor was made. Several layers of wood strips were laminated together to make a surface that was 41.5 inches (105.5 centimeters) tall, 16 inches (41 cm) wide, and about 0.2 inches (6 millimeters) thick. It had been shattered into 13 pieces and was missing its "umbo" or boss — a cup-shaped piece of material that would have protected the central hole where the soldier held onto the shield.
The shield was discovered by archaeologists in 1933 under a fortification tower during excavations at Dura-Europos. The Romans made Dura-Europos part of their empire in A.D. 165, using it as an eastern trading post. But the city was abandoned in A.D. 256 after being besieged by soldiers from the Sasanian Empire of ancient Iran.
In the collection of the Yale University Art Gallery.
