Scutum is the Latin word for shield, this legionaries’ semicylindrical shield is one of a kind. Only one, until now, have survived the time, the so-called ‘Scutum of Dura-Europos’. Found in a excavation between 1928 – 1937 by the Yale-French team in Dura-Europos in Syria, this shield was found flattened, fragmented in 13 pieces and missing its umbo (central part for protection – “boss”).
The Yale-French team was responsible for the restoration of the shield; the decoration “reflects Roman iconography of victory, including an eagle with a laurel wreath, winged Victories, and a lion”. Today the scutum rests on display in the Yale University Art Gallery.
Date ——————————–mid-III century AD
Materials ————————Wood and Rawhide
Dimensions ———————105.5 × 41 × 30 cm (41 9/16 × 16 1/8 × 11 13/16 in.)
Weight —————————–6.3kg (13.8 pounds)
Sources: Yale
Published February 3, 2021February 3, 2021