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Home Page Neolithic Forts Bronze Age Iron Age Christian Norman Modern Links & Virtual Museum

2,000 AD.- 500 BC.

Shields:- ( 1,000ad. / 500bc. ), were used as PROTECTION in battle. These had to be light to carry and yet strong enough to give protection to the person fighting. They were therefore made from a timber frame onto which a LEATHER covering was attached. These were the most common materials used in the making of SHIELDS for use.

Bronze SHIELDS, on the other hand, must have served another purpose. Due to their obvious weight they would be of little use in a battle so must have been used on special occasions, e.g. CEREMONIES and burial offering's. Their method of construction, was more than likely, the WET SAND CASTING technique. The DECORATION consists, of raised circles, with RAISED BOSSES / SEMI CIRCLES, arranged around, and within each CONCENTRIC CIRCLE, ( you should rem. THIS from the Kerb's. at NEW g. etc. ). You’ll see more on BOSSES later. The RAISED areas we see here of course were the depressions cut / pressed, into the wet sand in the MOULD before CASTING. The Central BOSS of course was an important element of these shields as they were used to inflict serious injury to an opponent, thereby making them easy prey.

Pottery was also being produced at this time, ( BEAKER POTTERY ). Not alone was it being used for food pots / Beakers, but also as ORNAMENTATION. GLAZED pottery BEADS were used as neck ORNAMENTS. Again, as for Metal CASTING, for which KILNS had to be used to attain the high temperatures to liquefy the metal, so too for pottery. In this case the temp. had to be high enough to FIRE / HARDEN the CLAY, but also to bind the GLAZE / COLOUR, to the surface of the clay object, and so make them WATER PROOF. Temperatures of 1000° or more would have had to be maintained for many hours and days and this without our modern day ELECTRIC / GAS KILNS. Re visit to see their Re. Con.