This long, semi-cylindrical shield in the collection of the Yale University Art Gallery is one of the few surviving examples of the Roman “scutum,” the most popular shield type from the fourth century BC to the third century AD. It was excavated about a century ago from the ancient city of Dura-Europos in Syria, and likely belonged to a Roman soldier who lost his life in battle.
Few examples of this type of shield have survived over the millennia, even though it is well known from depictions in art. The Dura-Europos shield gives archaeologists a lot of information about the construction of this armor.
Several layers of wooden strips were fused together to form a surface that was 41.5 inches (105.5 centimeters) long, 16 inches (41 centimeters) wide, and about 0.2 inches (6 millimeters) thick. It was shattered into 13 pieces and was missing its “umbo” or boss — a cup-shaped piece that protected the central hole where the soldier would hold the shield.
The front of the shield was covered with kidskin, then painted. According to the Yale University Art Gallery, “The painted decoration depicts Roman symbolism of victory, including an eagle with a laurel wreath, winged Victory, and a lion.”
Archaeologists discovered the shield beneath a fortification tower during excavations at Dura-Europos in 1933. The Romans made Dura-Europos part of their empire in 165 A.D., using it as an eastern trading outpost. But the city was abandoned in 256 A.D. after being sieged by troops from the Sasanian Empire of ancient Iran.
Archaeologists found the skeletons of 19 Roman soldiers in a tunnel beneath the fortification tower, along with all their weapons and armor — including the scutum. Although these soldiers may have simply been trapped in a collapsed tunnel, some experts believe the Sassanids were waiting for the Romans to break in. When they did, the Sassanids used naphtha – an ancient chemical weapon – to kill them.
After the battle with the Sassanids, the inhabitants fled, and Dura-Europos was quickly reclaimed by desert sands. It wasn’t found until 1920, when American archaeologist James Henry Breasted recognized the name “Dura” on a Greek inscription at the ancient city’s main gate.