Roman Shields

Even more-so than the Greeks before them, the Romans factored the use of their shields, also called scutum, into their military tactics quite heavily. And at Medieval Armour, we offer a number of traditional Roman shields, so much so that even an ancient Roman warrior would have come to us if he were looking for a good, sturdy shield to carry into battle. Originally, 'scutum' means shield in Latin, although over time the word became most often associated with the rectangular Roman shields and oval Roman shields that are used and favored by the Roman Legion and all its soldiers. Classic Roman shields were rarely plain and thus ours are rarely plain, often featuring bold designs that, once upon a time, would have historically referenced which branch of the Legion a soldier might have fought in. The Roman Legion was not the only group of Romans who used shields, however. Gladiators often found themselves using them as well, and so round arena shields were often common-place, especially when it came to fights in the gladiatorial pits. Roman shields tended to be made of both metal and wood and so we carry shields of both types, although metal shields were commonly used more by gladiators, while Roman wooden shields were carried by soldiers and legionaries. If you fancy yourself as a Roman soldier or legionary, then there's only one place to go to arm and armor yourself, especially when it comes to your functional Roman shield, and that place is Medieval Armour.