Are Viking shields flat?

The board of a shield was flat. It consisted of seven to eight planks, which were 8 to 10mm thick in the center and 5 to 6mm thick towards the edges.

Why were Viking shields round?

Their shape helped protect a fighter while riding on the back of a horse. However, during the Viking age, fighting was done on foot, so it seems unlikely they would have seen wide use. Evidence from skaldic poetry suggests round shields.

What did Viking shield designs mean?

The shield was both a defensive and offensive weapon. Once decorated, it conveyed the user’s identity or loyalty, and was sometimes painted with runes or symbols to bring victory. Displayed on the gunwales of their dragon ships, the shield became one of the most recognizable symbols of the Vikings.

Why were Viking shields so good?

preventing them soaking up water and becoming heavier. It is thought that a leather covered Viking shield weighed between 7kg and 10kg. deflect attacks, push attacks offline and spread the shock of a blow. The Viking shield protected most of a warrior’s body, leaving only the head and legs exposed.

What shapes were Viking shields?

Viking shields varied in size, colours and material with most shields ranging from twenty-four to thirty-eight inches in diameter. The shields were a circular shape, typically made from wood and were gripped in the centre from behind using a metal iron boss.

What do the Colours on Viking shields mean?

Green is the colour of hope, white symbolises surrender or innocence, and black binds the living to the dead. Colour has always carried meaning for people, including the Vikings, for whom it symbolised power and wealth. These colours are now available to all in the form of a colour palette: A Viking paint chart.

What wood is used for Viking shields?

The most common wood that was used was pine, but there are many surviving shields that were made out of spruce and fir.

What type of wood were Viking shields made from?

The archaeological evidence tells us that shields were also made from pine wood, spruce wood or the wood from fir tree. Viking shields weren’t strapped to the arm, they were gripped in the hand at the centre behind a boss made of iron. This meant that the angle of the shield could easily be changed.

Why did Viking shields have a circular bottom edge?

With the end of the Viking Age the traditional circular shape was replaced by Continental kite shields with elongated bottom edge that ensured more protection for legs. Viking shields were used as the means of defense in battle, but for ship crews they also functioned as protection from waves and the wind,…

How did the Viking shield compare to the Ancient Greek shield?

Compared with the strapped shields of the Ancient Greek, the shield with the grip in the center would face the difficulty of instability. But it offered the advantages of manoeuvrability and flexible war tactics. The most famous tactics with the Viking shields was the shield wall.

Are there any Viking shields that still exist?

A few shields have survived from the Viking age, notably the shields from the Gokstad ship, which date from the 10thcentury. The ship was equipped with 32 shields, several of which survive intact. They were made from a single layer of planks butted together, with no iron bands, and the fronts were painted black and yellow.

What is the broadest shield ever excavated?

The shield excavated at a Viking fortress Trelleborg (Denmark) in 2008 was 33,5″ broad. No less renowned are shields from Gokstad Viking ship burial (Norway).