Making a round shield from the Viking Age. Do-it-yourself Viking and Slavic shield Viking weapons: photos, differences, meanings

In 1880, in Norway, farmers in Gokstad, on the Baltic Sea, cultivated the land. There was a mound on it, which, as the locals assumed, could contain any ancient burials. They say that the mound was even nicknamed "Royal", but no one knew what was inside. When the place came to the attention of archaeologists and excavations began, a Viking ship was discovered on the site of the barrow, which was called Gokstad. Drakkar, dating from the 9th-10th century, is perfectly preserved, as are some of the things found on it. So, in Gokstad, in addition to fishing hooks, horse harnesses, various medallions, and even, as they say, playing board with figurines, one of the largest collections of Viking shields discovered by archaeologists has been preserved.

It is believed that they used the shield not only for defense, but also actively used it for attack: they struck with the edge, as well as with an iron umbon located in the center of the gun. However, the design of the shield itself was quite simple.

Viking ship Gokstad 10th c. (dockyards.com)

The gun itself was quite large. In diameter, it was about a meter (to be more precise, from 90 to 100 cm). In general, like weapons, each shield was made specifically, that is, for a specific warrior, based on his size. The main goal is to cover most bodies from arrows in order to be able to approach the enemy for hand-to-hand combat. Actually, the size of the shields suggests that they really could use the famous tactic, called the “wall of shields”. Outwardly, it is somewhat reminiscent of a Roman tortoise, when some warriors hold shields in front of them, while others hold them over their heads, thus closing the group from a hail of arrows.

Shields. (dockyards.com)

The field of the Viking shield was flat, unlike, for example, the ancient Greek hoplon (also a round shield). In addition, it consisted of only one layer of boards fastened together. On the same ship in Gokstad, the shields found were made of pine. It is believed that the Vikings mainly used the soft wood of coniferous trees in the manufacture of shields, although it is said that the gunsmiths also used harder varieties of trees. Subsequently, not one, but several breeds began to be used in the manufacture.

Due to the impressive surface area, the impact of the weapon on the shield was smoothed out, spreading over the entire field, and therefore, when defending, the warrior did not receive serious injuries. In addition, thanks to the very soft varieties of wood, it is believed that the enemy’s weapons often got stuck, after which the defender could take advantage of the moment to counterattack.

Shield in the museum. (dockyards.com)

The thickness of the shields, for example, from the same Gokstad, was on average 12 mm, while at the edges it was half as much - 6 mm. In the center of the shield was an iron umbon, which, as a rule, was about 12–15 mm in diameter and 3–5 mm thick. Umbons could be both cylindrical and flat. They basically tried to meet the blow of a sword or ax: the weapon slipped, after which the warrior could attack in response. The inner side was reinforced with metal inserts to make the shield more rigid. The edge of the shield was also framed with metal. Outside, it was covered with leather. She, in fact, pulled the boards to each other, as tightly as possible. Initially, the skin was nailed to the boards, but later clamps were used to make it easier and faster to repair the shield in case of damage.

Shield decorations. (dockyards.com)

Like weapons, shields were also decorated. The outer side was usually painted: the main colors, referring to numerous European sources, historians call red and white. By the way, as Russian researcher A.N. Kirpichnikov noted, the Scandinavian shield he found in Gnezdovo was also painted red. It is believed that along with them, black, blue, and yellow colors were also used in decoration. In addition, some pattern was often applied to the outer field of the gun.

Viking shield.

Good day reader! Today I will talk about how to make a simple round shield viking. This is of course not , but it's interesting and necessary!!

A bit of history: Shields of this type, that is, Scandinavian, had a round shape, and the size varied from 65 to 90 cm. According to archaeologists.

The Vikings made their shields from different types of wood - pine, ash, maple, linden, oak, depending on where they lived in a given period. The greatest preference was given to shields made of ash or oak because of the strength of these species, the lightest was a shield made of linden. The thickness of the shields also depended on the type of wood and varied in the aisles from 12 to 6 mm. In connection with such data, I recommend for you to use, as the most simple and best option and who is cheap for her husband, simple ordinary plywood with a thickness of 6 - 8 mm with a diameter of up to 90 cm.

Let's start making:

Material:

Plywood 6 - 8 mm thick;

Glue (preferably PVA) or casein fish (when pasting with leather); burlap or linen (I recommend several layers), I took a bag of sugar;

Strong nylon threads;

The skin is preferably thicker (you can save money and choose another suitable material);
Metal thickness from 1 to 2 mm.;

I used enamel paints (this is optional);

Rivet nails;

stain;

Varnish;

Tool:

Hammer, pencil, ruler, electric jigsaw, grinder with a circle 1.5 - 2 mm thick, sandpaper. It seems that I didn’t forget anything, well, you yourself, you know which tool you need!

Let's start manufacturing : We take the prepared plywood and mark two circles one with the diameter of your shield, take approximately 800 mm. The other is the diameter of the umbong (slightly larger than your fist).

Advice: in order to get a good circle, we take a board with any length, width

3 - 4 cm from one end I twist the self-tapping screw through, and at the required distance I drill a hole for the pencil. In this way, drawing even circles are obtained.

Having made the necessary movement, we get the first result.

The next step was to cut on the inside of the shield under the imitation of boards, as well as the opening with stain and varnish (do not overdo it with the tone).

After everything is dry, we proceed to the manufacture of the handle and two side planks (we take the material - oak, birch, ash) and rivet them in accordance with the pattern you applied on the boards (I used nails as rivets, those that protrude from the other side, bite off with wire cutters and rivet).

And now the first hints are already appearing that you have exactly shield, not a piece of plywood.

We proceed to the next step: you need to glue the shield with burlap on the outside (to cushion blows against the shield). We take glue and apply it to the front of the product, and I advise you not to regret it. We take the burlap and fit it on the shield, smoothing it so that there are no air pockets, and different kind irregularities. Smooth? So it’s great to wait for it to dry a little and repeat the operation several times without sparing the glue. When everything is dry, cut the burlap along the contour of the shield.

Umbon is knocked out from a metal blank with a thickness of 1.5 to 3 mm. Preferably steel (so more reliable). If the steel is thicker than 3 mm, the process takes place in two stages with intermediate annealing gas burner. Remember, the umbon must be made as comfortable as possible for your fist in future fights.

"Forest in a shower of arrows
iron ring.
Eirik from the field
shook the glory"

(Egil Skallagrimsson. Translation by S.V. Petrov)

Last time, the material called "Shields from the boards" caused a lot of comments, although not all of them related to this topic. One of the readers suggested that it would be more correct to call it "shields of wooden planks" and, perhaps, one can fully agree with this, since it would be more accurate. Because, yes, indeed, the shields of the Assyrians (not all, or rather, not all the soldiers, but some), and the shields of the Roman soldiers of the era of the decline of the empire - they were all made of wooden planks glued together. But the name is "already settled", so let's leave it as it is.

And it should also be noted complex structure such a "plank shield". Sheathing on the outside - canvas or leather. And be sure to have a metal conical or hemispherical umbon that closes the cutout for the handle. Moreover, it is interesting that such shields spread primarily in Europe, while shields woven from rods were popular in Asia. And although the peoples of the East now and then wave after wave rolled over Europe, the borrowing of this element of weapons did not happen.

Painting on the wall of the castle of Carcassonne. European warriors fight with Arabs, and both have round shields.

By the way, very little is still known about what caused the migration of nomadic peoples from Asia to the West, and there is still no consensus on this issue. Was it a long-term, catastrophic drought, or, on the contrary, everything flooded heavy rains and covered with snow, which made nomadic animal husbandry almost impossible, today it is very difficult to determine. But on the other hand, a little more is known today about the reasons that caused the campaigns of the northern Vikings. We will talk about the so-called "catastrophe 535-536", which was the result of a strong eruption of either one or several volcanoes at once, such as Krakatoa or El Chichon, when so much volcanic ash fell into the Earth's atmosphere that it led to a sharp cooling in the area the entire Mediterranean basin and, accordingly, in Scandinavia. Harsh winters now continued year after year, causing a famine that needed to be addressed.

Siege of Jerusalem in 1220. All warriors are depicted with round shields. Miniature from a Spanish manuscript of the Pierpont Morgan Library. NY.

And it was this event that greatly influenced the character of the inhabitants of Scandinavia, who not only began to bury treasures of golden things everywhere and throw them into lakes and swamps, but also changed their attitude towards the priests. Before the catastrophe, they played a very prominent role in the societies of the "people from the North". But “when the sun was darkened”, and their prayers and sacrifices to the gods did not bring the expected effect, faith in their power, although not immediately, fell. The authority of the local priesthood replaced the authority of the military leaders, since at that time only with a sword in hand could a person fight for survival in spite of the vagaries of evil nature. And, perhaps, it is in the events of this time that one should look for the roots of that militant “skew” in their culture, which later found a way out in the campaigns of the Vikings ...

A modern reconstruction of the equipment of one of the commanders of the Roman legion in the era of the decline of the empire.

Roman helmet of that era, discovered in Serbia.

From a military point of view, the Viking attacks on the lands of England and France resulted in a confrontation between the well-armed infantry of the "northern people" and more or less heavily armed native horsemen, who needed to arrive at the scene of the attack as soon as possible and punish the impudent invaders. Moreover, even in the era of the decline of the Roman Empire, a large round shield, glued from wooden planks and brightly painted, became dominant in Europe.

Drawings on oval Roman shields from Notitia Dignitatum.

Modern reconstruction appearance warriors of the decline of the Roman Empire.

It should be noted that the shields were painted not somehow at the request of the owner, but with the image of the emblem of his unit, that is, the legion. That this was the case is evidenced by the Notitia Dignitatum (“List of Positions”), an important document of the era of the late Roman Empire (late 4th or early 5th centuries).

Page from a medieval copy of the Notitia Dignitatum showing the shields of Magister Militum Praesentalis II, a list of Roman military formations. Bodleian Library.

Another reconstruction of the equipment of the dragonifer and the ordinary legionnaire.

Drawing on the shield of the Legion Quarta Italica (formerly the Fourth Italian Legion) c. 400 AD Notitia Dignitatum Or. VII. Bodleian Library.

Drawing on the shield of the Fifth Macedonian Legion. Beginning of the 5th century AD Notitia Dignitatum Or. VII. Bodleian Library.

Roman warrior, 5th century AD Drawing by Giuseppe Rava.

Roman warrior of the 5th - 6th century. AD Legion Quinta Macedon. Drawing by Gary Embleton.

The traditional defensive armament of a Viking warrior consisted of a round shield glued together from wooden planks, the material for which was usually linden wood (by the way, it was the linden that served as the basis for the poetic kenning “War Linden” - i.e. the allegorical name of the shield), with a metal a domed umbo in the middle and about one yard (91 cm) in diameter; a conical helmet with a nosepiece and less often a half mask, and chain mail with short, to the elbow, sleeves. In the Scandinavian sagas, it is often said that the Viking shields were brightly painted. Moreover, each color occupied on them either a fourth of the circle, or half of its surface. The shield was assembled from smoothly planed lime boards, about 5-6 mm thick, by gluing them crosswise. In the middle, he always sawed out round hole, which was covered from the outside by a metal umbon. Inside this hole and across it passed the handle of the shield. The shields from Gokstad were made of seven or eight planks of soft softwood, apparently pine. It was she who was used in most cases, although not always, and at the same time of various widths and thicknesses. Multi-layered shields, like the Romans, the Vikings did not have!

Viking shield device on the reverse side. Modern reconstruction.

Viking Age shield from Trelleborg. Denmark. Diameter about 80 cm.

The Vikings reinforced their shields along the edges with leather or metal fittings. During excavations in Birka, Sweden, a shield was found, decorated with small bronze plates. The shield had a diameter of 75 - 100 cm (or about 90 cm). Their surface was usually painted. At the same time, the Vikings considered shields painted red to be the most beautiful, but shields were also known. yellow color, black, and even completely white shields. But green or blue colors were not popular with the Vikings. It can even be assumed that their shape and the relative fragility of the structure are a consequence of the fact that they were supposed to be used in burial, that these were hardly real battle shields. Researchers note the similarity of the Gokstad shields with a shield found in a peat bog in Tirskome, Latvia (Tir peat bog). It is interesting that the umbon of the shield from the Tire peat bog was made of wood, although in shape and size it is identical to local iron samples.

Interestingly, all 64 shields found from the famous Gokstad ship were painted in contrasting black and yellow. At the same time, the plane of the shield was simply divided in half, or it was painted in a checkerboard pattern. There were shields with drawings of obvious mythological content, for example, they painted runes, the figure of a dragon or some other fantastic animal. In the battle of Nesyarev, for example, which took place in 1015, many warriors had shields with multi-colored stripes on their shields, not only painted, but also made of gilded metal. Usually, umbons were attached to shields with iron nails, the tips (ends) of which were either bent or riveted from the back of the shield. In the place of Birka, shields with umbons fixed with four nails were found, there are six of them in the Gokstad shields. There are also cases of finds of fastening umbons with five rivets.
The handles by which the shield was held were wooden. But on more beautifully and painstakingly made shields, a curved iron plate could be superimposed on a wooden base, usually ornamented with an engraved bronze leaf or even a silver inlay made on it.

In the shields found on the ship from Gokstad, the edges of the shields were reinforced with leather rims. To do this, small holes were drilled in them at a distance of about 2 cm from the edge with an interval of 3.5 cm. But the rim itself, alas, was not preserved. One can only assume that along the edge of the shield there was a strip of skin attached to wooden base either with stitches, or nailed to it with thin metal nails, which were then bent from the inside in the shape of the letter “G” and hammered into the base.

Reconstruction of the shield from the ship from Gokstad.
.
The Vikings were great lovers of poetry, and not just poetry, but metaphorical poetry, where ordinary words had to be replaced by flowery metaphors conveying their meaning, conveying the meaning of this name. Only those who heard them from childhood could understand such verses. For example, the shield could well be called by one skald, that is, the composer of sagas and the poet, “Victory Board”, “Network of Spears” (and the spear itself, in turn, could have the name “Shield Fish”), while the other - “ Tree of Protection "(an explicit indication of the material and purpose!), "Sun of War", "Wall of Hilds" (that is, "Wall of the Valkyries"), "Country of Arrows" and even "Linden War". The last name was a direct pointer to the material from which the Vikings also made their shields, that is, linden wood. That is, the Vikings did not know any "oak shields". The Romans did not know them, and if so, then ... and no one knew them, because they are not among the archaeological finds, and the textual materials also confirm their presence!

Another linden wood shield from the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen.

Having such shields, the Vikings used appropriate techniques in battle. It is well known that, defending themselves, the Vikings stood on the battlefield with a "wall of shields" - a phalanx of warriors lined up in five or even more rows, in which the most well-armed fighters were in the front rows, and those who had worse weapons were behind . Historians are still arguing how this "wall of shields" was built. It is questioned that the shields could overlap each other, as this would impede the freedom of movement of the warriors in battle. But there is a 10th-century tombstone at Gosforth of Cumbria showing shields overlapping one another for most of their width. Their arrangement narrows the front to a width of 45.7 cm for each person, that is, about half a meter. A tapestry from the 9th century Oseberg also depicts the same shield wall. But modern filmmakers and re-enactors, studying the construction of the Vikings, noticed that the warriors needed enough space to swing a sword or ax, so such close formations hardly made sense! True, there is an assumption that they were closed, approaching the enemy, and entering into contact with him, the phalanx "was distributed" so that each Viking could freely wield a sword or ax.

The main combat formation of the Vikings was still the same “pig” that the Byzantine horsemen used then - a wedge-shaped formation with a narrowed front. They believed that Odin himself came up with such a construction, which speaks of the antiquity and significance of this tactic for them. It consisted of two warriors in the front row, three in the second, and five more in the third. A wall of shields could also be built not only along the front, but also in the form of a ring. So Harald Hardrada, by the way, did in the battle on Stamford Bridge, where his soldiers met with the soldiers of King Harold of England. As for the commanders, they also defended themselves additional wall from the shields with which the warriors holding them deflected arrows flying at them. Lined up, the Vikings could repel the attack of the cavalry. But the Franks managed to defeat them at the Battle of Soukort in 881. Then the Franks made the mistake of breaking formation, which gave the Vikings the opportunity to counterattack them. But their second onslaught drove the Vikings back, even if they kept their order. But the Vikings realized the power of the Frankish cavalry and got riders at home. But they could not have large equestrian formations, because it was difficult for the Vikings to transport horses on ships! Well, in general, neither helmets, nor chain mail, nor even the shields of the Vikings were in any way inferior to the protective weapons of the same Frankish horsemen. By the way, the obvious fragility of the Viking shields may have been given to them initially. The relatively thin field of the shield was easily split, which, quite possibly, was conceived so on purpose, so that the enemy would get stuck in the wood of the shield.

Viking chess pieces from the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. These are probably the oldest chess pieces found in Europe. They were made of walrus bone, and probably in Norway, in 1150-1200. In the 11th century, this island belonged to Norway, so there is nothing surprising in the fact that they ended up there. The main thing is the skill with which they were made. A total of 93 figures from four sets were found. 11 not in the best condition are in Edinburgh (National Museum of Antiquities), while the rest are on display at the British Museum in London.

Round Pictish shields. Rice. A. Sheps.

Bas-relief depicting Pictish warriors with square shields. But there were also mysterious shields in the shape of the letter "H" - that is, these are the same square ones, but with rectangular cutouts at the top and bottom. Rice. A. Sheps.

Interestingly, on the territory of Britain, shields similar to those of the Vikings had many peoples who lived there, including the same Picts. They also formed a wall of shields in battle, although their shields themselves were different from the shields of the "peoples from the North." They also had metal umbones, but were smaller in diameter. But the most interesting thing is that, again, only the Picts had plank shields with umbons resembling the shape of the letter ... "H" with two cutouts at the top and bottom. But where and why such a form came from and what was the meaning in it is still unclear ...

The main purpose of this article is to fill the existing gap and make life easier for those who are just starting to act in the field of historical reconstruction. It is recommended that you first read the translation of Peter Bitson's article at the addresses above, and then use this article as a guide to action.

Material.

The shield field can be made based on two options: from furniture board(the closest to reality, but less durable), or plywood sheet. The furniture board is a rectangle glued from boards with a width of 1m, a length of 2m and a thickness of 2cm. Given the thickness of real shields, you will need to plan a wooden blank with a planer by almost one and a half times 6-8mm. Or use plywood with a predetermined thickness. The diameter of the workpiece can vary from 80 to 90 cm.

The handle must be made of a wooden plank with a D-shaped section. The length is adjusted based on the diameter of the shield, so that the indent from the edge is about 5 cm. The handle can be made the same width along the entire length, or you can reduce it to a cone - from the center to its two ends. The thickness and height are no more than 3-3.5 cm. On the Carolingian miniatures there are images of round shields with a figured metal handle (Maine), Anglo-Saxon material also confirms the use of this type of handle (Maine).

The central place on the shield is occupied by an umbon - an iron cap covering the handle from the outside of the shield. For the Viking era, umbons have a fairly similar appearance throughout Europe, differing in the details of the manufacture of the cone itself and the design of the field. At the end of the 19th century, a typology (Ryuge) was developed which is still used today. Umbon can be made independently by cold forging on a mandrel made of iron sheet 2-2.5 mm.

The edge of the shield was covered with a leather strip 2-3 mm thick and 5-6 cm wide. The joints of the pieces were closed with iron rectangular fittings 1 mm thick with dimensions of 2 by 7 cm. According to the materials of the Birka burial ground, these fittings were riveted with 2 rivets.

The outer side of the shield must be glued with leather or cloth (burlap). The shield from the Tyrian peat bog was glued with leather on both sides.

Again, according to the materials of the Birka burial ground, along with the finds of shields, finds of one or two iron rings on brackets located at the same distance from the umbon, apparently necessary for attaching a leather shoulder strap, can be traced.

Delusions.

Before you start making your first shield, you need to avoid the most common mistakes made:

Additional planks.

In addition to the handle, the shield field was not reinforced with additional longitudinal strips riveted with a large number of rivets. Firstly, there is no archaeological evidence for this fact, and secondly, this addition does not add strength to the shield, but only makes it heavier. The handle of the shield was the only bar that fastened the field of the shield and the umbon. The use of rivets for fastening these parts is still controversial. Usually, the umbon was fastened with nails bent inward. The handle of the Tyrian shield was tied to the field with a rope.

Shield thickness.

The optimal thickness of the shield is 6-8 mm: you should not make a shield from plywood more than 10 mm. This increases the weight, turning the shield from mobile, active protection into another heavy object on your arm. Real artifacts give us an idea of the shield as a defense for one fight, tests show that the shield cannot withstand arrows and darts, powerful chopping blows with an ax destroy the edge of the shield, even breaking through the handle. This fragility is compensated by its maneuverability and ease of dismantling. metal parts to a new field.

Shield shackles.

It is not necessary to tie the edge of the shield with a metal strip, this again will increase the weight and will not greatly save the edge of the shield from destruction. The shields of the Viking era had only a leather strip along the edging, additionally fastened with metal brackets. In the only Birka burial, the bindings are riveted close to each other, covering one sector of the shield.

Shield strap.

The belt was attached to steel rings, which in turn were attached to the handle. The most common mistake is to mount the belt to the backboard field using rivets and washers, followed by installation of the buckle and belt tip. Buckles and even more so (richly decorated) tips have never been found together with the remains of the shield. Apparently, the belt was a single one, or its length was regulated using a series of holes on one side of the belt and a forked tail on the other.

Decorations.

Archaeological finds of shields give us a poor choice of decoration of the outer part: Gokstad - alternation of yellow and black paint, Gnezdovo - ocher-red color on the remains of a tree on the rim of one shield. The Tyrian shield has leather pasting, which, most likely, did not have a pattern. The pictorial sources on shields are much richer (one can give fairly examples of miniatures with the reconstruction of the drawing throughout Europe). In addition to these sources, drawings on models of ornamental shields can be used. The basis of the pattern is usually the so-called "Segner's wheel", or a cross. The most common misconception is the transfer of a real zoomorphic or geometric pattern decorating any object of material culture (wickerwork on dishes, spoons, embroidery, architecture, book miniatures) to the subject of military life. Do not forget that the ornament for our ancestors had more practical significance than just as an element of decor.

Shield making. Shield field.

First you need to cut a circle out of plywood, with a normal sheet cutting, you can get two blanks with a diameter of 89 cm. It is also necessary to cut a hole under the arm in the center of the shield. The diameter of the hole should be slightly larger than the inner diameter of your (already finished) umbon. All cut edges must be carefully sanded. Inner part The shield is lined onto boards with a dummy knife along the longitudinal pattern of plywood and treated with stain. If the surface is assembled from a furniture board, then the texture and direction of the boards will appear after staining.

After that, it is necessary to paste over the outer side of the shield with a cloth, for this it is necessary to apply a layer of PVA first on the plane, then put a wet (!) Fabric on the shield and apply a few more layers of glue on top. The last layer will be the shield pattern - for this you add a coloring pigment or tempera paint to the glue itself and paint the surface.

Umbon.

While the shield is drying, you need to make an umbon. With an abundance of modern tools, this will not be difficult to do. The first way is to buy a ready-made, hot-formed umbon, which can be endlessly rearranged from the old shield to the new one. And the second way - independent production. To do this, you need: a round-faced drift hammer, a small concave steel cup / ingot, or a wooden chopping block with a recess in the center. A workpiece with a diameter of 16-18 cm is cut out of sheet iron 2-2.5 mm thick, then fields of 2 cm are outlined along the edge with a caliper. You need to knock out the sphere with a series of blows from the edge to the center. Each cycle of impacts will allow you to knock out the sphere by about 5mm. Given the required depth of the umbon 6-8cm. After the second hour of knocking out, you will finally get the idea that it was better to buy it.

Edge stitching.

After the fabric on the face of the shield has dried, it will be necessary to cut off excess pieces of fabric around the edges. Then we will proceed to sheathing the edge of the shield with a leather strip. With a shield thickness of 8 mm, a strip of leather 5 cm wide will suffice. By trying on the strip on the edge, mark the line of the edge of the strip along the entire shield. Further, retreating from this line 5 mm to the outside, line with an awl at regular intervals (10-12 mm) the future holes for the firmware. If you have chosen solid stitching, then one line of holes will be enough, if overcasting, then it will be necessary to step back from the 5 mm line inside the shield and mark the holes in between. Next, you need to drill all the holes with a diameter of 2 mm in a circle, apply a strip and pierce the holes for the firmware in it with an awl, so that they coincide with those drilled in the shield field. You can sew a strip with thick linen or waxed threads.

Fittings installation.

For fittings, you can use a sheet of iron 1 mm thick, from which it is necessary to cut 6-8 identical plates 2 cm wide and 7 cm long (with a shield thickness of 8 mm and a leather cover of 2 mm - when these dimensions change, the length of the bracket may vary). 4 holes are drilled in the workpiece for future riveting, and the bracket is tightly crimped with pliers along the edge of the shield. After that, holes are drilled in the shield itself, rivets are inserted and riveted from the inside. If the leather strip on the edging consists of several pieces, then the brackets are placed at each joint, if the strip is solid, then 4-6 brackets can be placed along the sectors of the shield at an equal distance from each other.

Assembling the parts of the shield. Umbon, handle, rings.

Before mounting the handle, it is necessary to fix rings on it - belt holders. The rings are bent on a mandrel with a diameter of 2 cm from 4 mm wire. Then strips 4-5 mm wide are cut from one extra bracket. They are bent around the ring and inserted into the holes drilled in the handle, and the remaining shanks are unbent on the reverse side. Their location may vary, the main thing is that they are equidistant from the umbon.

Next, the handle and the umbon itself are mounted. It is usually attached to 4 nails or rivets, two of which also pass through the handle. For the handle itself, two more rivets are needed at the ends, although each board of a lined shield can be riveted. The final touch is the installation of a belt with ties and sewing a linen cover for the shield.

By the way, very little is still known about what caused the migration of nomadic peoples from Asia to the West, and there is still no consensus on this issue. Whether it was a long-term, catastrophic drought or, on the contrary, everything was flooded with heavy rains and covered with snow, which made nomadic animal husbandry almost impossible, it is very difficult to determine today. But on the other hand, a little more is known today about the reasons that caused the campaigns of the northern Vikings. We will talk about the so-called "catastrophe 535-536", which was the result of a strong eruption of either one or several volcanoes at once, such as Krakatoa or El Chichon, when so much volcanic ash fell into the Earth's atmosphere that it led to a sharp cooling in the area the entire Mediterranean basin and, accordingly, in Scandinavia. Harsh winters now continued year after year, causing a famine that needed to be addressed.

Siege of Jerusalem in 1220. All warriors are depicted with round shields. Miniature from a Spanish manuscript of the Pierpont Morgan Library. NY.

A modern reconstruction of the equipment of one of the commanders of the Roman legion in the era of the decline of the empire.

Roman helmet of that era, discovered in Serbia.

Drawings on oval Roman shields from Notitia Dignitatum.

A modern reconstruction of the appearance of warriors from the era of the decline of the Roman Empire.

It should be noted that the shields were painted not somehow at the request of the owner, but with the image of the emblem of his unit, that is, the legion. The fact that this was so is evidenced by the Notitia Dignitatum (“List of Positions”), an important document of the era of the late Roman Empire (end of the 4th or beginning of the 5th centuries).

Page from a medieval copy of the Notitia Dignitatum showing the shields of Magister Militum Praesentalis II, a list of Roman military formations. Bodleian Library.

Another reconstruction of the equipment of the dragonifer and the ordinary legionnaire.

Drawing on the shield of the Legion Quarta Italica (formerly the Fourth Italian Legion) c. 400 AD Notitia Dignitatum Or. VII. Bodleian Library.

Drawing on the shield of the Fifth Macedonian Legion. Beginning of the 5th century AD Notitia Dignitatum Or. VII. Bodleian Library.

Roman warrior, 5th century AD Drawing by Giuseppe Rava.

Roman warrior V - VI century. AD Legion Quinta Macedon. Drawing by Gary Embleton.

The traditional defensive armament of a Viking warrior consisted of a round shield glued together from wooden planks, the material for which was usually linden wood (by the way, it was the linden that served as the basis for the poetic kenning “War Linden” - i.e. the allegorical name of the shield), with a metal a domed umbo in the middle and about one yard (91 cm) in diameter; a conical helmet with a nosepiece and less often a half mask, and chain mail with short, to the elbow, sleeves. In the Scandinavian sagas, it is often said that the Viking shields were brightly painted. Moreover, each color occupied on them either a fourth of the circle, or half of its surface. The shield was assembled from smoothly planed lime boards, about 5-6 mm thick, by gluing them crosswise. In the middle, he always sawed a round hole, which was closed from the outside by a metal umbon. Inside this hole and across it passed the handle of the shield. The shields from Gokstad were made of seven or eight planks of soft softwood, apparently pine. It was she who was used in most cases, although not always, and at the same time of various widths and thicknesses. Multi-layered shields, like the Romans, the Vikings did not have!

Viking shield device on the reverse side. Modern reconstruction.

Viking Age shield from Trelleborg. Denmark. Diameter about 80 cm.

The Vikings reinforced their shields along the edges with leather or metal fittings. During excavations in Birka, Sweden, a shield was found, decorated with small bronze plates. The shield had a diameter of 75 - 100 cm (or about 90 cm). Their surface was usually painted. At the same time, the Vikings considered shields painted red to be the most beautiful, but yellow, black, and even completely white shields were also known. But green or blue colors were not popular with the Vikings. It can even be assumed that their shape and the relative fragility of the structure are a consequence of the fact that they were supposed to be used in burial, that these were hardly real battle shields. Researchers note the similarity of the Gokstad shields with a shield found in a peat bog in Tirskome, Latvia (Tir peat bog). It is interesting that the umbon of the shield from the Tire peat bog was made of wood, although in shape and size it is identical to local iron samples.

In the shields found on the ship from Gokstad, the edges of the shields were reinforced with leather rims. To do this, small holes were drilled in them at a distance of about 2 cm from the edge with an interval of 3.5 cm. But the rim itself, alas, was not preserved. One can only assume that there was a strip of leather along the edge of the shield, attached to a wooden base either with stitches or nailed to it with thin metal nails, which were then bent from the inside in the shape of the letter “G” and hammered into the base.

Another linden wood shield from the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen.

The main combat formation of the Vikings was still the same "pig" that the Byzantine horsemen used then - a wedge-shaped formation with a narrowed front. They believed that Odin himself came up with such a construction, which speaks of the antiquity and significance of this tactic for them. It consisted of two warriors in the front row, three in the second, and five more in the third. A wall of shields could also be built not only along the front, but also in the form of a ring. So Harald Hardrada, by the way, did in the battle on Stamford Bridge, where his soldiers met with the soldiers of King Harold of England. As for the commanders, they also defended themselves with an additional wall of shields, with which the warriors holding them deflected arrows flying at them. Lined up, the Vikings could repel the attack of the cavalry. But the Franks managed to defeat them at the Battle of Soukort in 881. Then the Franks made the mistake of breaking formation, which gave the Vikings the opportunity to counterattack them. But their second onslaught drove the Vikings back, even if they kept their order. But the Vikings realized the power of the Frankish cavalry and got riders at home. But they could not have large equestrian formations, because it was difficult for the Vikings to transport horses on ships! Well, in general, neither helmets, nor chain mail, nor even the shields of the Vikings were in any way inferior to the protective weapons of the same Frankish horsemen. By the way, the obvious fragility of the Viking shields may have been given to them initially. The relatively thin field of the shield was easily split, which, quite possibly, was conceived on purpose so that the enemy's weapons would get stuck in the wood of the shield.

Round Pictish shields. Rice. A. Sheps.

Making a round shield from the Viking Age. Do-it-yourself Viking and Slavic shield Viking weapons: photos, differences, meanings

Making a round shield from the Viking Age. Do-it-yourself Viking and Slavic shield Viking weapons: photos, differences, meanings

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