Shield
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Shield. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
sheld, a framework carried by warriors to protect the body. Shields of one sort or another appear to have been used from the earliest times. Homer describes the Trojan Hector as carrying a shield of black bull's hide so large that the outer circle struck his neck and ankles. The shield of antiquity was constructed usually of the heaviest rawhide strapped on a wooden frame and provided with one or more handles, enabling it to be held on one arm. Sometimes the shields were of wood. Frequently they were strengthened with studs and strips of metal. The Grecian Hoplites of the Anabasis carried small shields. The Assyrian shield was round, convex, and pointed at the center. The shield of the Egyptian spearsmen was made of bull's hide with the hair outward, strengthened around the rim with a strip of metal. It was rectangular in shape, with a semi-circular extension at the top designed to protect the face, and pierced by a small hole through which to look forward. The shields of the Etruscans and early Romans were convex and circular in shape. Later, the soldiers of the Roman legion carried an oblong, rectangular shield, little wider than the body. The column of Trajan shows shields of this sort, as well as an oval shield which came into fashion at a later date. The Franks, with whom the Romans came into contact, carried small round shields made of hides. The early Scandinavians, Vikings, and Anglo-Saxons carried small round or oval shields strengthened with metal and ornamented frequently with elaborate devices. The Normans, who settled in the valley of the Seine and later invaded England, carried large shields provided with an arm strap and handle. They also were adorned with various badges and devices. As shown in the Bayeaux tapestry, the Norman shield was kite-shaped. The Saxons carried round shields. Shields disappeared from the effigies and monuments of England about 1375. The Highland swordsman clung to the use of the bull's hide target. The Highland followers of Prince Charlie carried shields at the battle of Prestonpans in 1745, the last engagement, so far as known, in which Europeans used shields of any sort. To the skilled antiquarian, the shape and workmanship of a shield is a certain clew to the nationality and period of the warrior who carried it. With the invention of gunpowder and the use of guns in war, shields became useless. They are pictured now only in connection with coats of arms in a heraldic office. See Armor ; Marathon ; Sennacherib
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
2026 Editor's Note: This page uses language about other peoples, religions, or nationalities that was commonplace when the book was published and is offensive by today's standards. The text has been left exactly as it was printed, rather than cut or softened, so that the historical record — including how ordinary such language once was — is preserved. (Ed: ET 2026-07-22) a portion of defensive armor held by the left hand or worn on the left arm to ward off sword strokes or missiles. The earliest known shields date from the close of the Bronze Age. They are circular and flat, or but slightly convex, with a central boss, under and across which the handle is fixed. The Greek shield of the Homeric period was also of bronze, circular, convex, and often ornamented with devices. The Etruscan shield of bronze, of which there is a fine specimen in the British Museum, is also circular and ornamented in concentric bands of embossed work round the central boss. The Roman infantry used a light round shield about three feet in diameter, and the cavalry carried a smaller buckler also of a round form covered with hide, while the spearmen had a large oblong convex shield of wood and leather strengthened with iron , which covered the whole body. The early Germanic shields were also large, oblong, and convex. The shields of the Anglo-Saxon invaders of England and of the Scandinavian Vikings were mostly circular. But the Norman shield of the 11th century was kite-shaped, and the triangular form continued to prevail till the 15th century, becoming gradually shorter and more obtusely pointed , After the 14th century the small round ed, or heart-shaped. buckler came into fashion , and retained its place till the 16th century. By this time the use of firearms had made the shield practically useless in warfare. Many savage tribes still use shields of wood or hide.