My guess on the dragon, the bird, the man and the woman with wings: What does a bird, dragon, a man and a winged woman have in common? They are all the stars of the poem of the slaying of Fafnir (the dragon) by Sigurd (the man). The bird who Sigurd kan understand after tasting Fafnirs blood. And Brynhilda the valkyrie who Sigurd vows to marry. Sigurd is the greatest hero of North-Europe and the slaying of Fafnir is the climax of the Volsungasaga, the "Iliad of the North." :-D
On another note I think the knob on the boss may be part of a shield-wall formation where the front rank would kneel and ground their shields over which those in the second rank overlapped their own shields, using the knobs of the first rank to rest the lower rims on. Such a burgh or 'fortress' of interlocked shields would prove hard to crack for an infantry wedge or cavalry charge (if horsemen WERE used in battle in this period).
Thank you for doing this. I've always loved Anglo-Saxon England and getting an up close tour of the this shield and the other Sutton Hoo finds is truly amazing. Keep up the good work. It is much appreciated.
I just received this shield in a video game. That's a hell of a coincidence that you did a video of it today. Well done, I enjoyed the close up look of this shield immensely.
So if fancy decorations on shields were a thing, does that mean shields were less disposable than I've been led to believe or did they just tack the nice bits onto a new shield when the current one broke?
eldric grubbidge Well, you might only be in a battle once or twice in your whole life. Also, consider the differences between our dress uniforms and our battle dress in modern times, the normal things could have been anything.
eldric grubbidge A shield is only disposable in the same way that a car is disposable, once it suffers major damage you strip it for parts to build a new one with. A shield boss would both cost a lot more than the planks and take much more punishment.
There is speculation, by Sue Brunning (British Museum), that Raedwald as left handed, due to the position of wear on the sword pommel. So the shield would have been carried in the right hand with the position of the hand grip possibly off set to the left.
If you're going to stand in formation for a few hours it would make sense to have a shieldstrap where you can let the shield rest from the strap and it still hangs suffienctly high up to protect the user, similar to the way that hoplites let their shield rest on the shoulder.
Sometimes, scrolling through a channel's history is quite fun, because you get to see how far along they have come. Regarding the boss knob - I've done a bit of modern shield carrying in my career, but not an archaeologist. I don't "weapon catcher" - I see [purely speculation], "shield hanger knob, that still allows the art to be seen, without taking damage, by using the other knobs as spacers." Like on some kind of wooden stand, that is lost to time and decay. So, dude could hang his shield on it's stand next to his chair, and his sword and other gear on display, but still have quick access to it, should the need arise. Again, pure speculation - but... I know we liked hanging/setting up our shields that way.
Consider the flimsy disc or in some cases a hook in the center of the shield, purposefully made to break off and think of riding a horse and using your shield to catch the sides of the bridle or reins of an opposing horse riding close and towards you in battle. You don't want the disc or hook to be permanently fixed or a catch would rip the shield out of the riders hands but fixed loosely to purposefully break off would be ample to turn the horses head into you over your horse's rump and throw the opposition off balance so you can utilize your sword to dispatch your opponent. As for the body of an eagle housing the face of a man, you are on the right track when you mentioned cherubim. The cherubim are the messengers of God.
Outstanding I believe that these types of videos are very much more interesting. Well to me at least, historical finds are always interesting. Are you planning on more of these?
That human face looked to be missing an eye, which would signal Odin to me, or the anglo-saxon version of him. That could indicate a Raven as the identity of the bird, or an Eagle.
The disc on the Sutton Hoo Shield is a shock absorber. It may reduce a 100g shield impact shock down to 5g by creating a 5ms impact delay. We used to be smarter than we are now.....
In a fairly recent lecture (a couple of months ago ish) at the British Museum Dr Sue Brunning mentioned some speculation about the carrying strap (not the carrying handle) and whether it was truly from the shield. Part of the speculation was down to the size of the fittings and the thin strap size. One hypothesis is that it originally came from a lute which shattered as the tomb collapsed and the strap fittings ended up near the shield. There was actually a lot of other great information in the lecture about new discoveries and research which is being undertaken currently. Another example of that would be suspicion that whoever was buried there was actually left handed!
My best guess for the disc, assuming it even held for that would be to trap strikes, however when you try charge someone with a long spear or axe you often "control" or keep away the spear as you charge with the shield-boss (the angle between the flat of the shield and the raised boss), letting it slide across the shaft of the spear as you move in, and that knob might be useful for making sure the spear/axe doesn't slide off/up. Wouldn't need to be extremely sturdy as its not really a hit, just a bit of pressure... Just a guess
Lord Victor Halgaard I have a theory that they're for locking on the rim of other shields in a shield wall, but I haven't had the chance to try it out yet :-/
Badger0fDeath Not at all impossible. One of my favourite anecdotes: they found some amazingly preserved ancient Japanese armour still in crates, packed in hay, oiled and whatnot.. the breast-plate had some beautiful kanji on it which they got translated. With bated breath they waited to discover if it was some ancient samurai family name, or a poetic reference to flowing water or something. It said "front"
TheBaconWizard I was actually just read a book about different Germanic warrior styles and it says that front line warriors sometimes had discs or little staves from the boss so that the second line troops could rest their shields on it
With regards to the small strap, were you to have the shield slung over your shoulder for using a spear 2 handed or similar, if you lost the spear you could still control the shield whilst using a sword without having to unsling the shield and take it by the grip behind the boss. Just a thought as I see it done by some of my fellow re-enactors whilst using kite and large heater shields in later period shows.
i use a shield of that size when fighting. since the shield is so heavy, you can rest the shield by putting the strap over your shoulder, and then grab the boss and use it as a buckler when moving in close.
Massive?! No kidding! I mean, especially taking into consideration that people were smaller back then... But come to think of it, this (as a ceremonial piece with all the delicate (!!!) artwork) was probably never meant to be used in real combat, if I am not completely mistaken. But then again, I might be. As my comment was still in the making, or rather writing: the video from minute 17" on seems to prove me wrong. Makes it even more impressive. So, can hardly wait for part 3 and more artifacts to come. Just my 2 cents. Thanks for the vid. Cheers, Jess
JC Denton The average height of Anglo-Saxon men was 5'8". The average height of British men when I was growing up was 5'9". Now it is 5'10". The difference is negligible. I have training partners who are well under 5'8" and they don't use smaller shields just because of a few inches difference in height.
+scholagladiatoria Maybe you could make a video about how athletic or fit the common soldiers or elite were back then in migration and medieval times.. And maybe compared to soldiers today. What were their training regime like? How fast could they run a marathon and stuff like that to paint a general picture... IF you have already done such a video I apologize!
An interesting thing to note is that King Raedwald initially converted to Christianity then converted back to paganism. What you say could be possible. Sadly though there isn't much of a record of English paganism except a few of the Norse gods with Old English names :-(.
+Wessex90 yes i believe raedwald was christain for most of his life, but before he died, his wife of course told him not to deny the old religion, so he was half christain half pagan at the time of his passing?
The disks purpose seems obvious. It covers the area of the boss that's least likely to deflect hits. Every bit of it around the disk is highly curved, which leads to all hits sliding off the boss and onto the shield face. The disk provides additional protection in the most vulnerable part of the boss, causing a deflection off of the center of the boss.
Interesting, and it would explain the loose attachment since it not staying perfectly rigid would actually help that use. I'm used to seeing very sturdy steel bosses with extra room in case they do dent, so durability isn't an angle I'd considered. In an era with softer metals, though, that makes sense, and might explain why they went out if use as metallurgy improved. All in all, that's probably the best explanation I've come across yet by a long shot, good thinking! Secondary use perhaps to catch the rim of your opponent's shield to manipulate it (ex: I hook it over the top edge of your shield and pull down while striking at your face=unhappy you), but probably not the main reason. I don't really see any likely situation where catching the opponent's weapon there would be advantageous (especially with a frail mounting), so that explanation confuses me quite a bit.
Wow! That's one impressive shield! The dragon at first looked like a dagger to me but I see his point. The hole for the hand seems a bit too small though, I guess it was to minimise the weight add on by the boss (smaller hole to cover maybe). Or to confine the hand to encourage some style of usage like the sword of the time?
I was reading that the disc that protrudes isnt to trap spikes but during a shield wall formation or more specifically the shieldburg formation, the second line of men lifted their shields over the men in the first line and rested it on the boss of the front line troops. The disc could be used to keep a comrades shield from being pulled away as easy by resting the rim on it.
I wonder if the disc is used for interlocking a shield on top of another allies shield with one hand to get a taller defense without getting tired holding the shield up high? Or maybe catching a rim on a opponents shield to force maneuver their shield to create a gap for a strike?
Hey Matt, I was wondering if you could make a short video on the Mameluke swords that were carried by some European officers during the early 19th century? I had no idea that they were even fashionable to figures like Napoleon and Wellington until recently. Why were these sometimes preferred to European sabres for dress wear?
I suspect the weight suggests it was a ceremonial shield, although based on combat models. Any owner of such a fine shield would have many, including budget versions to actually receive blows. Considering these shields were often splintered in combat, it makes no sense to painstakingly transplant all the finery to a new base every time it occurred. The convex curve, metal rim and reinforcing are most likely completely authentic, but could be achieved at much less cost and weight for an item that would have to be recycled.
For any confused, 'limewood' is also referred to as 'basswood', not actual wood from a lime tree, somewhat similar to soft pine, if I recall correctly.
I have a theory about the size and decorations on the shield, I think that it not only has to do showing off wealth, status, and prowess but may have served as a form of standard or colors in later periods. Something for the troops to rally around and so that they know where their king is in the middle of a fight because his shield is larger and more heavily decorated than anybody else, it helps him stand out. As for the disc/knob on the front, could it have been used for tying something to it like a tassel? Or maybe they tied a favor from their wife or girlfriend like Medieval knights were supposed to have done during tournaments?
Looking at the bird, with all of the faces represented within, makes me wonder if there wasn't an Anglo-Saxon equivalent of Morrigan, carrying off the souls of the dead? The 'man with a moustache or very big teeth' looks to me very much like some of the ox representations I've seen from Egyptian or Babylonian pieces (can't remember which), if the edge of the shield is taken as the bottom. The disk reminds me of a tab or button. If it was used to hang the shield from at the ready, through a slot cut in wood or leather, then the loose fit would actually be a benefit.
So does that offset handle support the 'edge' model of centre-held shield fighting 'ala Roland'? Also, I've just realised that I am now aware of two 'edge vs flat' debates in HEMA circles, which means there are probably a few more. What's going on there?
Bit late to the party on this but I don't think the disc on the boss has any martial application. If you laid the shield flat on the floor, due to it's round/convex shape it would be hard to pick up without sticking something flat like a knife under the edge to lift it up enough to get your fingers under, or doing some some sort of awkward grip on the boss to lift up the shield enough to stick a foot under the edge. If you have the little disc on the boss you can easily and conveniently pick it up with that, and it would not need to be heavily riveted on to serve it's purpose.
I suppose this shield were, something like jewellery - rather more as a decoration item, not the equipment for the defense. Although, from the other side of: The treasure found recently in England and exhibited in Birmingham would indicate that very decorative war equipments could be used in direct combat of kings, dukes, lords of war, chiefs and warriors of "The Dark Ages"! And so nobody can not say for sure....
I see no other reference to it so I will ask, when is the new edition of Paul's book Woden's Warriors due out? Also what would a common shield look like during Redwald's time look like, not as large and a rawhide rim, with an iron Boss? Matt did Anglo Saxon shield get even more conical as time went on? The drawing on the April Julian work Calendar ( feast) the soldiers shield is very conical.
KB4QAA Just butted and glued. There are a number of surviving wooden shields from bog deposits and ships, and they are all simply butted and glued planks - the covering and rim gives them strength.
The so-called carrying strap makes more sense as a rib hanging strap as in the rib of a ship as in to protect the Ormond it's not like we've never seen that before on a Viking ship
I am utterly and completely FUCKING FASCINATED! Thank you, my imagination is cranking out ideas and kicking them out at a rapid rate right now. The uh.....upper handle. Wouldn't it seem likely as a retreat and defense thing. On horseback you could cover your entire body upon retreating. On foot you could hold it in a very similar position and crouch (defense to archers only) in that position you could literally shield your entire body from arrows. (yes it's a terrible tactic in the midst of person to person fighting) If your only concern is arrows though it is amazing. Wow, thanks though. (I'm not arguing, just throwing out ideas)
Given that the knob sticking out of the boss isn't very strong, I'd bet it was for attaching a carrying strap, so the shield would hang better for a long hike or on horseback, and not flap back and forth and whap you in the shins so much. Also perhaps for hanging flat on a wall without needing a nail or hook behind it.
Rez Zircon hum, if ever it was a custom to store shields wy hanging on the walls, at the time, why wouldn't one use the ample amount of strapping present on the back of the shield? And Or stick a long enough nail or a hook in one's wall? If you can afford this, you can bloody well afford a nail Thus the "show side" is visible, there's nothing to damage that's not easy to fix, changing a worn strap is easier than dismantling the grip to have access to the inside of the boss to re peen the knob's rivet! If the knob isn't structural enough for recieving blows, it would be a bad idea to suspend the shield from it, gold is highly maleable... And hanging it by it's middle section, flat on something isn't as stable as hanging nearer to it's top (try with a picture frame....
A beautiful reproduction of the Sutton Hoo shield. And seeing this, my opinion is even stronger that the original shield is wrongly put together , somehow the gilded decorations look as they don't belong on the shield, or there are several missing. The symmetry ,compared to other art objects of the era, looks wrong. In my opinion there is something missing vor completely wrong. Keep the good work up!
As far as the shield ornaments could that also perhaps be a field command depending on orientation. The use of gold and it's reflective capabilities would be a huge bonus for this. In that instance I would also assume that the leather would be dyed as dark as possible. This is totally out there.......imagine if they could tell a basic amount of time due to the outer uh......metal bits being rotated slightly before the next gesture. "Dragon attack in 5 minutes, Hawk fall back in 10" I'm just spitballing.
Erlyk Dalkien I know we like to think of these cultures as less strategic, I think they may have been more strategic in a different way then we are today. Not "better" just different mindset/training.
This is mostly a ceremonial shield. The red color is to have it be displayed and visually check on what it looked like at the head of the hall. to see the depth of the shared experience. It was used with garnet to visually check how heavy and correct the sedir was. The added strap piece on back was used for the hanging. This is a place for the spirits to visit the hall through, like how later churches had little figures like gargoyles or green men in the decorative parts, alongside columns and on lintels. It takes the place of the Germanic gold hat-crown, where all the spirits were welcomed to come in and watch out from. On the left is the dragon, with little face-fish representing the people in the family or clan group members along the body as cuttlefish tentacles. On the right is the bird that can carry sedir, and cause alu to happen, grasping or carrying a little human head that represents the fixing of sedir using a bird as a medium, and it has some symbolic significance i suppose also, like "our luck is carried by the birds" or "Life is random." But what it is really conveying is the word view, and saying "we cannot lose with our magic." Its a shame most of this knowledge was lost or hidden away, because these people had a not unique way of looking at the world that at least the people in the museum have no connection with, and could do some practical magic. Ever walk through a field or along a country road and suddenly had your ears pop? That's a bird fixing you into the landscape with everything else it can see. That bird has carried your sedir like the one on the shield, and found you with everything else below it. The ring is what it is supposed to be and may be an oath ring. but there is also a belief that a lot of early metal objects were hexed by spirits, thus many swords and things were thrown away into bogs and rivers, and the the inclusion of a round gold surface, or point in the design made a place where the hex would try to stick, but because of the curved surface it would not, thus any ring-like object could act as an anti-magic charm. Wish you guys understood this better, but that's the way it is in England.
Remember always though, when displaying these objects. As you lecture and study them, and don't really understand them much, that the spirits watch you back through them, with the many faces and eyes embellished on the alloy and the gold.
I'd like to comment that the inclusion of people with wings is not such a stretch. You ever hear of the Valkyrie? Angels were more pan theistic in the past, and stretched from cherubim to the dogs of Zeus, to St. Peter's helpers and the old testament types of angels. I don't think it really matters that much, as much as a sphinx matters, depicted near the great pyramids in Egypt.
Any chance you could do something on battlefield communications at this period ? And can we look at how they may have achieved this, without imposing to many ideas from later writings on the subject.
Idk, but it seems like that type of shield disc would be much better for trapping shield edges than weapons. (I don't see how you'd ever catch a weapon with it at all, but a shield edge might almost be easy. Maybe someone with actual skills and equipment ought to give it a try?)
+Karl Johnsen No I don't. It is not a nimble shield more a static defense. Generally it has been the targe sized shield that have been the more aggressive shields.
Perhaps the boss disc was used to attach pennants, tassels, &c., or it could have been used to make noise (in a shield wall) by shaking. Could have no function whatsoever...
jancello Alright, I've just come across the Hanwei viking lugged spear, which looks exactly like the one against your wall. Is it this model ? If so, it it sharpened ? Reshafted ? Could you review it please (puppy eyes) ? I want a hewing spear !
would disks like that on the sheildboss be strong enugh to hang the sheald from? like on wall (or in camp a forked stick in the ground) so you can jump up and grab it quick. probobly not, its just an idea.
What I have understood from this video is the fluidity of the term "people". If you'd take an historical atlas on a map describing the migration period you'll (you: any of you) see that most of the Germanic tribes were moving from south Sweden, south Norway, Denmark, Northern Germany. So what I am asking myself is: is it correct to define people by the name we are used to (Goths, Longobards, Viking, Saxons ect.) or it would be better to define them as cultures so "germanic culture" (or whatever). They were following the same religion, they were born in the same lands. Paulus Diaconus wrote in his historia longobardorum, late VIII AD, so at the beginning of the "Viking" era, that the longobards (or lombards) were coming...guess from where? The very same place from where the viking were starting to come from. So, if Paolus Diaconus (a longobard) remebered the place from where his people were coming from (they arrived in Italy in 568 and the last kingdom (in the north) was conquered by Charleslemagne in 771 and the Linisfarne raid is dated 793....I hope you understand what I mean...ciao
Historians use the term 'ceremonial' too much, because they forget that people that commanded armies would have wanted to make an imposing presence. Japanese daimyos wore inventive helmets, european kings wore crowns on their helmets, officers wore plumage, etc. None of this was really all that practical for battle, but it made a presence.
Can the "disk" part of the boss? sp hold the weight of the shield. Maybe it was just a quick grab wall hanging type thing. (Grab handle of shield lift up 1 inch good to go)
He is enteirly correct that there are no roman influences on the shield itself. The shield is extremly similar to east-coast swedish shields. there are however roman influences when it comes to the helmet :)
Maybe that bird isn't a raptor but a carrion bird. I had heard that some ancient people left bodies exposed after they died to be picked apart by birds. The idea being that the birds would carry their souls to the other side. That could be why there are representations of human heads or skulls flying on the bird.
when Matt held up the shield to my mind the bird and dragon symbols looked like medals or commemorations, as if the owner was saying I fought here and did this, I was a good sailor and earned this.
There are swords of that period that have the same kind of gold/garnet decoration, and they were certainly combat swords. I think it is likely the shield was used in combat and that parade pomp and all was in those days presented in combat use not just ceremony also why leather? Viking age shield were done in Ox rawhide, so do we know leather was used in the time peroid of the shield? rawhide tends to weigh less and better protect, unless you use boiled leather, but that is still much heavier. I would have guessed a painted rawhide would be better than leather.
I've been quite interested in Sutton-Hoo, but had no idea the shield was that big. Was this a "standard" size for Saxon shields of that period, or unusually large?
To me this shield looks more like a decorative or ceremonial piece of equipment rather than it to be designed for combat. So I don't think that it makes sense to discuss if any part of the shield has any actual use in combat. If it would be intended for combat it would make more sense to make it lighter so it is not so tiring to wear don't you think?
Just wondering, but given how ginormous that particular shield is compared to shields normally used in a shield wall, can the owner even join the wall? It seems to me that the idea here is to give an individual maximum protection in a situation where he would have to defend himself classical-hero style, which would make sense for a king or war leader. In which case, leading from the front would probably have meant a position next to or right behind a shield wall where he'd have much better situational awareness than the guys actually forming the wall.
The Saxon warrior who donned these weapons, armor and shield must have been a sight indeed.
"Do you think it's king Raedwald?"
"I don't think it really matters."
Spoken like a true historian. ^_^
Wow
Body has disappeared because of the soil conditions. So we will not ever know!.
Whoever was buried there was clearly a jedi master
@@mavisemberson8737 I think he arose and now haunts the House of Windsor.
@@LTPottenger
I don't buy the explanation about the soil.
"Woden's Warriors," Paul Mortimer's book, mentioned at about the 8-minute mark, is going for almost $10,000 on Amazon.com. That is nuts!
My guess on the dragon, the bird, the man and the woman with wings:
What does a bird, dragon, a man and a winged woman have in common?
They are all the stars of the poem of the slaying of Fafnir (the dragon) by Sigurd (the man). The bird who Sigurd kan understand after tasting Fafnirs blood. And Brynhilda the valkyrie who Sigurd vows to marry.
Sigurd is the greatest hero of North-Europe and the slaying of Fafnir is the climax of the Volsungasaga, the "Iliad of the North." :-D
On another note I think the knob on the boss may be part of a shield-wall formation where the front rank would kneel and ground their shields over which those in the second rank overlapped their own shields, using the knobs of the first rank to rest the lower rims on. Such a burgh or 'fortress' of interlocked shields would prove hard to crack for an infantry wedge or cavalry charge (if horsemen WERE used in battle in this period).
Thank you for doing this. I've always loved Anglo-Saxon England and getting an up close tour of the this shield and the other Sutton Hoo finds is truly amazing. Keep up the good work. It is much appreciated.
Beautiful reproduction and great information as always. Thanks
I just received this shield in a video game. That's a hell of a coincidence that you did a video of it today. Well done, I enjoyed the close up look of this shield immensely.
Fascinating info and very cool shield (loved the close-ups); I appreciate the video and Mr. Mortimer's participation.
amazing video Matt, love that you could have Paul on your channel, it was a really interesting talk, can;t wait for the next ones !
zero dislikes! Get your shit together matt's nemesis!
eldric grubbidge They are probably still asleep, dreaming about what a real life would feel like.
So if fancy decorations on shields were a thing, does that mean shields were less disposable than I've been led to believe or did they just tack the nice bits onto a new shield when the current one broke?
eldric grubbidge Well, you might only be in a battle once or twice in your whole life.
Also, consider the differences between our dress uniforms and our battle dress in modern times, the normal things could have been anything.
eldric grubbidge
A shield is only disposable in the same way that a car is disposable, once it suffers major damage you strip it for parts to build a new one with.
A shield boss would both cost a lot more than the planks and take much more punishment.
eldric grubbidge not everyone disliking a video is a veneered hater ;) maybe he/she just doesnt like it
Thanks Matt & Paul, very interesting stuff.
I love archeology! :-)
Your videos are a real treat, mate! Thanks a lot!
Very interesting, perfect for my procrastination instead of studying for my finals, thanks, Mr. Easton!
CZProtton And also: Click subscribe now and also follow us on Facebook.
Sorry, that is just too cheesy :D
NEED MORE!! Seriously, I love your content, bringing in historians (I know it's not easy to do) with museum replicas is fucking awesome!
Looking foreward to more! Very interesting topic.
This is probably one of the more fascinating videos you've done. They are all great but seeing an archaeological replica is another level entirely.
There is speculation, by Sue Brunning (British Museum), that Raedwald as left handed, due to the position of wear on the sword pommel. So the shield would have been carried in the right hand with the position of the hand grip possibly off set to the left.
awesome man. just found this series. thanks.
If you're going to stand in formation for a few hours it would make sense to have a shieldstrap where you can let the shield rest from the strap and it still hangs suffienctly high up to protect the user, similar to the way that hoplites let their shield rest on the shoulder.
Great video, thanks for posting.
Awsome vid, awesome shield, we want moar!
Robert Tauzer There are 3 more related videos to come :-)
That was great... thanks for going to all that trouble and sharing :)
Matt, I don;t have time to watch this whole video now. I watched about 10 minutes, & it looks great. Thank-you, Dante.
It goes without saying but: that's one beautiful shield.
I love the little garnet settings.
Sometimes, scrolling through a channel's history is quite fun, because you get to see how far along they have come.
Regarding the boss knob - I've done a bit of modern shield carrying in my career, but not an archaeologist.
I don't "weapon catcher" - I see [purely speculation], "shield hanger knob, that still allows the art to be seen, without taking damage, by using the other knobs as spacers." Like on some kind of wooden stand, that is lost to time and decay.
So, dude could hang his shield on it's stand next to his chair, and his sword and other gear on display, but still have quick access to it, should the need arise.
Again, pure speculation - but... I know we liked hanging/setting up our shields that way.
Great video.
Beautiful!
Looking forward to more :)
A beautifull piece .
Wonderful and educational video.
Consider the flimsy disc or in some cases a hook in the center of the shield, purposefully made to break off and think of riding a horse and using your shield to catch the sides of the bridle or reins of an opposing horse riding close and towards you in battle. You don't want the disc or hook to be permanently fixed or a catch would rip the shield out of the riders hands but fixed loosely to purposefully break off would be ample to turn the horses head into you over your horse's rump and throw the opposition off balance so you can utilize your sword to dispatch your opponent.
As for the body of an eagle housing the face of a man, you are on the right track when you mentioned cherubim. The cherubim are the messengers of God.
Outstanding I believe that these types of videos are very much more interesting. Well to me at least, historical finds are always interesting. Are you planning on more of these?
That human face looked to be missing an eye, which would signal Odin to me, or the anglo-saxon version of him. That could indicate a Raven as the identity of the bird, or an Eagle.
The disc on the Sutton Hoo Shield is a shock absorber. It may reduce a 100g shield impact shock down to 5g by creating a 5ms impact delay.
We used to be smarter than we are now.....
In a fairly recent lecture (a couple of months ago ish) at the British Museum Dr Sue Brunning mentioned some speculation about the carrying strap (not the carrying handle) and whether it was truly from the shield. Part of the speculation was down to the size of the fittings and the thin strap size. One hypothesis is that it originally came from a lute which shattered as the tomb collapsed and the strap fittings ended up near the shield.
There was actually a lot of other great information in the lecture about new discoveries and research which is being undertaken currently. Another example of that would be suspicion that whoever was buried there was actually left handed!
Its beautiful.
I'm so jealous. why can't I have connections with archeologists like that...
volunteer for a dig
My best guess for the disc, assuming it even held for that would be to trap strikes, however when you try charge someone with a long spear or axe you often "control" or keep away the spear as you charge with the shield-boss (the angle between the flat of the shield and the raised boss), letting it slide across the shaft of the spear as you move in, and that knob might be useful for making sure the spear/axe doesn't slide off/up. Wouldn't need to be extremely sturdy as its not really a hit, just a bit of pressure... Just a guess
Lord Victor Halgaard I have a theory that they're for locking on the rim of other shields in a shield wall, but I haven't had the chance to try it out yet :-/
They seem too flimsy to do much at all, frankly. Maybe for tying a pendent around of some kind?
Badger0fDeath Not at all impossible.
One of my favourite anecdotes: they found some amazingly preserved ancient Japanese armour still in crates, packed in hay, oiled and whatnot.. the breast-plate had some beautiful kanji on it which they got translated.
With bated breath they waited to discover if it was some ancient samurai family name, or a poetic reference to flowing water or something.
It said "front"
TheBaconWizard I was actually just read a book about different Germanic warrior styles and it says that front line warriors sometimes had discs or little staves from the boss so that the second line troops could rest their shields on it
With regards to the small strap, were you to have the shield slung over your shoulder for using a spear 2 handed or similar, if you lost the spear you could still control the shield whilst using a sword without having to unsling the shield and take it by the grip behind the boss.
Just a thought as I see it done by some of my fellow re-enactors whilst using kite and large heater shields in later period shows.
i use a shield of that size when fighting. since the shield is so heavy, you can rest the shield by putting the strap over your shoulder, and then grab the boss and use it as a buckler when moving in close.
Massive?! No kidding!
I mean, especially taking into consideration that people were smaller back then...
But come to think of it, this (as a ceremonial piece with all the delicate (!!!) artwork) was probably never meant to be used in real combat, if I am not completely mistaken. But then again, I might be. As my comment was still in the making, or rather writing: the video from minute 17" on seems to prove me wrong. Makes it even more impressive. So, can hardly wait for part 3 and more artifacts to come.
Just my 2 cents. Thanks for the vid.
Cheers, Jess
JC Denton The average height of Anglo-Saxon men was 5'8". The average height of British men when I was growing up was 5'9". Now it is 5'10". The difference is negligible. I have training partners who are well under 5'8" and they don't use smaller shields just because of a few inches difference in height.
Ah, ok. Thanks for the info. Live and learn, that's what they say, right?!
:-)
+scholagladiatoria Maybe you could make a video about how athletic or fit the common soldiers or elite were back then in migration and medieval times.. And maybe compared to soldiers today. What were their training regime like? How fast could they run a marathon and stuff like that to paint a general picture...
IF you have already done such a video I apologize!
Could the women's faces with wings in the raptor be Valkyries? And the man's face be representative of a warrior's soul being taken to Valhalla?
standingunder I thought the same, or perhaps ravens, commonly associated with battles, war, and Woden.
We don't know if there was an Anglo Saxon equivalent to the Valkyrie as its mostly a Norse concept
An interesting thing to note is that King Raedwald initially converted to Christianity then converted back to paganism. What you say could be possible. Sadly though there isn't much of a record of English paganism except a few of the Norse gods with Old English names :-(.
+Wessex90 yes i believe raedwald was christain for most of his life, but before he died, his wife of course told him not to deny the old religion, so he was half christain half pagan at the time of his passing?
+Dylan Fontaine I guess he could have made a compromise later in life..
The disks purpose seems obvious. It covers the area of the boss that's least likely to deflect hits. Every bit of it around the disk is highly curved, which leads to all hits sliding off the boss and onto the shield face. The disk provides additional protection in the most vulnerable part of the boss, causing a deflection off of the center of the boss.
Interesting, and it would explain the loose attachment since it not staying perfectly rigid would actually help that use. I'm used to seeing very sturdy steel bosses with extra room in case they do dent, so durability isn't an angle I'd considered. In an era with softer metals, though, that makes sense, and might explain why they went out if use as metallurgy improved.
All in all, that's probably the best explanation I've come across yet by a long shot, good thinking!
Secondary use perhaps to catch the rim of your opponent's shield to manipulate it (ex: I hook it over the top edge of your shield and pull down while striking at your face=unhappy you), but probably not the main reason.
I don't really see any likely situation where catching the opponent's weapon there would be advantageous (especially with a frail mounting), so that explanation confuses me quite a bit.
Wow! That's one impressive shield!
The dragon at first looked like a dagger to me but I see his point.
The hole for the hand seems a bit too small though, I guess it was to minimise the weight add on by the boss (smaller hole to cover maybe). Or to confine the hand to encourage some style of usage like the sword of the time?
Had to look up lime wood. It’s not citrus, lol. Apparently, it’s what we in the States call basswood. It’s a choice wood for fancy horse carriages.
Lindybeige had a really interesting thought about the button bosses. The video is called "Button bosses".
I notice the mug in the background - I have, I think, the same one. Ironically, my wife is a descendant of Hotspur, through Kinmont Willie.
I was reading that the disc that protrudes isnt to trap spikes but during a shield wall formation or more specifically the shieldburg formation, the second line of men lifted their shields over the men in the first line and rested it on the boss of the front line troops. The disc could be used to keep a comrades shield from being pulled away as easy by resting the rim on it.
I wonder if the disc is used for interlocking a shield on top of another allies shield with one hand to get a taller defense without getting tired holding the shield up high? Or maybe catching a rim on a opponents shield to force maneuver their shield to create a gap for a strike?
Hey Matt, I was wondering if you could make a short video on the Mameluke swords that were carried by some European officers during the early 19th century? I had no idea that they were even fashionable to figures like Napoleon and Wellington until recently. Why were these sometimes preferred to European sabres for dress wear?
I suspect the weight suggests it was a ceremonial shield, although based on combat models. Any owner of such a fine shield would have many, including budget versions to actually receive blows. Considering these shields were often splintered in combat, it makes no sense to painstakingly transplant all the finery to a new base every time it occurred. The convex curve, metal rim and reinforcing are most likely completely authentic, but could be achieved at much less cost and weight for an item that would have to be recycled.
That shield is huge.
For any confused, 'limewood' is also referred to as 'basswood', not actual wood from a lime tree, somewhat similar to soft pine, if I recall correctly.
I have a theory about the size and decorations on the shield, I think that it not only has to do showing off wealth, status, and prowess but may have served as a form of standard or colors in later periods. Something for the troops to rally around and so that they know where their king is in the middle of a fight because his shield is larger and more heavily decorated than anybody else, it helps him stand out.
As for the disc/knob on the front, could it have been used for tying something to it like a tassel? Or maybe they tied a favor from their wife or girlfriend like Medieval knights were supposed to have done during tournaments?
Looking at the bird, with all of the faces represented within, makes me wonder if there wasn't an Anglo-Saxon equivalent of Morrigan, carrying off the souls of the dead?
The 'man with a moustache or very big teeth' looks to me very much like some of the ox representations I've seen from Egyptian or Babylonian pieces (can't remember which), if the edge of the shield is taken as the bottom.
The disk reminds me of a tab or button. If it was used to hang the shield from at the ready, through a slot cut in wood or leather, then the loose fit would actually be a benefit.
"Come on if you think you're hard enough" - battle-cry of the English AD 600 - present.
Normans were hard enough and then some
So does that offset handle support the 'edge' model of centre-held shield fighting 'ala Roland'?
Also, I've just realised that I am now aware of two 'edge vs flat' debates in HEMA circles, which means there are probably a few more. What's going on there?
Bit late to the party on this but I don't think the disc on the boss has any martial application.
If you laid the shield flat on the floor, due to it's round/convex shape it would be hard to pick up without sticking something flat like a knife under the edge to lift it up enough to get your fingers under, or doing some some sort of awkward grip on the boss to lift up the shield enough to stick a foot under the edge.
If you have the little disc on the boss you can easily and conveniently pick it up with that, and it would not need to be heavily riveted on to serve it's purpose.
I suppose this shield were, something like jewellery - rather more as a decoration item, not the equipment for the defense. Although, from the other side of: The treasure found recently in England and exhibited in Birmingham would indicate that very decorative war equipments could be used in direct combat of kings, dukes, lords of war, chiefs and warriors of "The Dark Ages"! And so nobody can not say for sure....
I see no other reference to it so I will ask, when is the new edition of Paul's book Woden's Warriors due out? Also what would a common shield look like during Redwald's time look like, not as large and a rawhide rim, with an iron Boss? Matt did Anglo Saxon shield get even more conical as time went on? The drawing on the April Julian work Calendar ( feast) the soldiers shield is very conical.
Truly outstanding! How were the boards joined? butt joint, rabbet, scarfed etc.
KB4QAA Just butted and glued. There are a number of surviving wooden shields from bog deposits and ships, and they are all simply butted and glued planks - the covering and rim gives them strength.
The so-called carrying strap makes more sense as a rib hanging strap as in the rib of a ship as in to protect the Ormond it's not like we've never seen that before on a Viking ship
I am utterly and completely FUCKING FASCINATED! Thank you, my imagination is cranking out ideas and kicking them out at a rapid rate right now. The uh.....upper handle. Wouldn't it seem likely as a retreat and defense thing. On horseback you could cover your entire body upon retreating. On foot you could hold it in a very similar position and crouch (defense to archers only) in that position you could literally shield your entire body from arrows. (yes it's a terrible tactic in the midst of person to person fighting) If your only concern is arrows though it is amazing. Wow, thanks though. (I'm not arguing, just throwing out ideas)
Paul Morimer's book 'Woden's Warriors' literally goes for thousands of dollars on Amazon. I found a used hardcover for almost $10,000...
Doesn't mean anyone will be ever pay that for it.
To my mind that small disc on the boss could only have been used for catching the edge of an opponent's shield to leverage it out of the way.
Given that the knob sticking out of the boss isn't very strong, I'd bet it was for attaching a carrying strap, so the shield would hang better for a long hike or on horseback, and not flap back and forth and whap you in the shins so much. Also perhaps for hanging flat on a wall without needing a nail or hook behind it.
Rez Zircon hum, if ever it was a custom to store shields wy hanging on the walls, at the time, why wouldn't one use the ample amount of strapping present on the back of the shield?
And Or stick a long enough nail or a hook in one's wall?
If you can afford this, you can bloody well afford a nail
Thus the "show side" is visible, there's nothing to damage that's not easy to fix, changing a worn strap is easier than dismantling the grip to have access to the inside of the boss to re peen the knob's rivet!
If the knob isn't structural enough for recieving blows, it would be a bad idea to suspend the shield from it, gold is highly maleable...
And hanging it by it's middle section, flat on something isn't as stable as hanging nearer to it's top (try with a picture frame....
A beautiful reproduction of the Sutton Hoo shield. And seeing this, my opinion is even stronger that the original shield is wrongly put together , somehow the gilded decorations look as they don't belong on the shield, or there are several missing. The symmetry ,compared to other art objects of the era, looks wrong. In my opinion there is something missing vor completely wrong. Keep the good work up!
As far as the shield ornaments could that also perhaps be a field command depending on orientation. The use of gold and it's reflective capabilities would be a huge bonus for this. In that instance I would also assume that the leather would be dyed as dark as possible. This is totally out there.......imagine if they could tell a basic amount of time due to the outer uh......metal bits being rotated slightly before the next gesture.
"Dragon attack in 5 minutes, Hawk fall back in 10" I'm just spitballing.
Erlyk Dalkien I know we like to think of these cultures as less strategic, I think they may have been more strategic in a different way then we are today. Not "better" just different mindset/training.
This is mostly a ceremonial shield. The red color is to have it be displayed and visually check on what it looked like at the head of the hall. to see the depth of the shared experience. It was used with garnet to visually check how heavy and correct the sedir was. The added strap piece on back was used for the hanging. This is a place for the spirits to visit the hall through, like how later churches had little figures like gargoyles or green men in the decorative parts, alongside columns and on lintels. It takes the place of the Germanic gold hat-crown, where all the spirits were welcomed to come in and watch out from. On the left is the dragon, with little face-fish representing the people in the family or clan group members along the body as cuttlefish tentacles. On the right is the bird that can carry sedir, and cause alu to happen, grasping or carrying a little human head that represents the fixing of sedir using a bird as a medium, and it has some symbolic significance i suppose also, like "our luck is carried by the birds" or "Life is random." But what it is really conveying is the word view, and saying "we cannot lose with our magic." Its a shame most of this knowledge was lost or hidden away, because these people had a not unique way of looking at the world that at least the people in the museum have no connection with, and could do some practical magic. Ever walk through a field or along a country road and suddenly had your ears pop? That's a bird fixing you into the landscape with everything else it can see. That bird has carried your sedir like the one on the shield, and found you with everything else below it. The ring is what it is supposed to be and may be an oath ring. but there is also a belief that a lot of early metal objects were hexed by spirits, thus many swords and things were thrown away into bogs and rivers, and the the inclusion of a round gold surface, or point in the design made a place where the hex would try to stick, but because of the curved surface it would not, thus any ring-like object could act as an anti-magic charm. Wish you guys understood this better, but that's the way it is in England.
Remember always though, when displaying these objects. As you lecture and study them, and don't really understand them much, that the spirits watch you back through them, with the many faces and eyes embellished on the alloy and the gold.
I'd like to comment that the inclusion of people with wings is not such a stretch. You ever hear of the Valkyrie? Angels were more pan theistic in the past, and stretched from cherubim to the dogs of Zeus, to St. Peter's helpers and the old testament types of angels. I don't think it really matters that much, as much as a sphinx matters, depicted near the great pyramids in Egypt.
Any chance you could do something on battlefield communications at this period ? And can we look at how they may have achieved this, without imposing to many ideas from later writings on the subject.
What was the name of the place in norway Paul said a free ring came from?
I never realized how hard certain Aussie TH-camrs totally bite Matt's entire style, lol.
Idk, but it seems like that type of shield disc would be much better for trapping shield edges than weapons. (I don't see how you'd ever catch a weapon with it at all, but a shield edge might almost be easy. Maybe someone with actual skills and equipment ought to give it a try?)
The Boss Disc is for inter locking shields in a shield wall.
The Wuffingas ( the East Anglian Royal house) came from Sweden. Hence the Swedish-style gear.
Do you think that a shield rim might have been to make it more effective as a striking weapon?
+Karl Johnsen No I don't. It is not a nimble shield more a static defense. Generally it has been the targe sized shield that have been the more aggressive shields.
Perhaps the boss disc was used to attach pennants, tassels, &c., or it could have been used to make noise (in a shield wall) by shaking. Could have no function whatsoever...
That disk in the center might just be for hanging it on the side of the ship in transit. It would offer quick access for battle or defense.
That spear !! O.O
Me wants.
jancello Alright, I've just come across the Hanwei viking lugged spear, which looks exactly like the one against your wall. Is it this model ? If so, it it sharpened ? Reshafted ? Could you review it please (puppy eyes) ? I want a hewing spear !
would disks like that on the sheildboss be strong enugh to hang the sheald from? like on wall (or in camp a forked stick in the ground) so you can jump up and grab it quick.
probobly not, its just an idea.
What I have understood from this video is the fluidity of the term "people". If you'd take an historical atlas on a map describing the migration period you'll (you: any of you) see that most of the Germanic tribes were moving from south Sweden, south Norway, Denmark, Northern Germany. So what I am asking myself is: is it correct to define people by the name we are used to (Goths, Longobards, Viking, Saxons ect.) or it would be better to define them as cultures so "germanic culture" (or whatever). They were following the same religion, they were born in the same lands. Paulus Diaconus wrote in his historia longobardorum, late VIII AD, so at the beginning of the "Viking" era, that the longobards (or lombards) were coming...guess from where? The very same place from where the viking were starting to come from. So, if Paolus Diaconus (a longobard) remebered the place from where his people were coming from (they arrived in Italy in 568 and the last kingdom (in the north) was conquered by Charleslemagne in 771 and the Linisfarne raid is dated 793....I hope you understand what I mean...ciao
+Mario Cassina : Since these _ethnoi_ referred to themselves by these names (non-Anglicized, of course), it is entirely appropriate.
Historians use the term 'ceremonial' too much, because they forget that people that commanded armies would have wanted to make an imposing presence.
Japanese daimyos wore inventive helmets, european kings wore crowns on their helmets, officers wore plumage, etc.
None of this was really all that practical for battle, but it made a presence.
Can the "disk" part of the boss? sp hold the weight of the shield. Maybe it was just a quick grab wall hanging type thing. (Grab handle of shield lift up 1 inch good to go)
He is enteirly correct that there are no roman influences on the shield itself. The shield is extremly similar to east-coast swedish shields.
there are however roman influences when it comes to the helmet :)
Maybe that bird isn't a raptor but a carrion bird. I had heard that some ancient people left bodies exposed after they died to be picked apart by birds. The idea being that the birds would carry their souls to the other side. That could be why there are representations of human heads or skulls flying on the bird.
wow just pure gorgeous
when Matt held up the shield to my mind the bird and dragon symbols looked like medals or commemorations, as if the owner was saying I fought here and did this, I was a good sailor and earned this.
I think you ought to get your close up shots separately and edit them in when you need to. Would have saved you a LOT of time.
Screw paintings, I'm putting beautiful shields on my walls!
faces with wings, could they be Valkyries, the maidens of death?
good video. What was the name of Pauls bok??
There are swords of that period that have the same kind of gold/garnet decoration, and they were certainly combat swords. I think it is likely the shield was used in combat and that parade pomp and all was in those days presented in combat use not just ceremony
also why leather? Viking age shield were done in Ox rawhide, so do we know leather was used in the time peroid of the shield? rawhide tends to weigh less and better protect, unless you use boiled leather, but that is still much heavier. I would have guessed a painted rawhide would be better than leather.
Where can we keep up to date about the reprinting of Paul Mortimer's book?
Ar Tir Here on this channel :-)
I've been quite interested in Sutton-Hoo, but had no idea the shield was that big. Was this a "standard" size for Saxon shields of that period, or unusually large?
Compared to the Norsemen shields of the Viking Age at least, it seems pretty big
Thought so. Thanks.
The disc on the boss reminds me of a covertec clip.
To me this shield looks more like a decorative or ceremonial piece of equipment rather than it to be designed for combat. So I don't think that it makes sense to discuss if any part of the shield has any actual use in combat. If it would be intended for combat it would make more sense to make it lighter so it is not so tiring to wear don't you think?
Just wondering, but given how ginormous that particular shield is compared to shields normally used in a shield wall, can the owner even join the wall? It seems to me that the idea here is to give an individual maximum protection in a situation where he would have to defend himself classical-hero style, which would make sense for a king or war leader. In which case, leading from the front would probably have meant a position next to or right behind a shield wall where he'd have much better situational awareness than the guys actually forming the wall.
Andrew Suryali Yes he could join a shield wall, ost of his shield will be in frount of him and any excess will cover the men to his sides.
Did you ever do a video showing the coat of maille?