How to make a Roman shield for kidsFebruary 07 2011
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Here's a quick and easy Roman soldier's shield in 8 steps - perfect for your school project.
All photos unless otherwise stated © Rachel Hayward
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You will need:
Card - a big box is great or you can stick card or empty cereal boxes together / scissors, a ruler, glue and sticky tape / tin foil and red wrapping paper - we used leftover Christmas wrapping paper (you can use paint) and if you haven't got that - you could cover the whole shield in foil.
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Make a shield in minutes
1. Get an adult to help you draw out the shield shape on cardboard. Make it curved up at the top (see photo right).
Our shield is 46cm wide and 56cm in height or two cereal packets plus the side of the packet across and two boxes high.
2. Then cut it out.
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3. Cover the shield in red paper and sticky tape it down at the back of the shield like we've done in the photo on the left.
Now for the straps (see photo below)...A Roman shield only had one strap at the back for the soldier's hand to go into but you can have two for added comfort.
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4. Cut out two rectangular straps out of cardboard - the top strap where your hand goes can be shorter than the other one.
5. Secure the straps with sticky tape, or something stronger like duck tape if you've got it, to the shield's back (see photo right).
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Q: Do you know what the metal bit on the front of the Roman shield was?
A: A shield boss.
The shield boss was in the centre of the shield and would help make it stronger and protect the soldier's hand.
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Can you see in the photo how the back of the shield boss on this replica Roman shield is concaved in shape like a small bowl so that the soldier's fist can fit inside?
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Make your shield boss
6. Make your shield boss out of a square of tin foil.
7. Then stick some scrunched up tin foil to make a dome-shaped piece to the middle of the shield boss.
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Another great picture to use for your shield would be this Roman Phalera baldric fitting.
It would have been worn on a soldier's cross strap on his armour. Can you see the golden eagle on it - the symbol of the Roman army - and the inscription OPTIME MAXIME CON - which means: "Jupiter (king of the gods) - the best and greatest protect us"?
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Screenshot above right from Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery website.
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More time or haven't got a printer?
Instead of printing, why not copy the pictures onto your tin foil shield boss instead?
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We copied the picture of Pegasus on the Roman intaglio from the Museum of London collection.
We drew the shape lightly with a pencil onto our tin foil shield boss, then went over it with a permanent black marker pen.
You now have a basic Roman shield!
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As you can see from our Roman shield, we added some strips of bronze paper to make a cross shape on the front of our shield. We also cut small circles out of bronze paper and stuck them on to look like they were rivets holding the shield together.
You can always do the same out of yellow paper or with paint.
Read on and see more shield decoration ideas...
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Roman Shield facts
A Roman soldier's shield - or scutum - was rectangular in shape and curved to fit and protect the body down to the knees.
The shield was made of lightweight wood, then covered with leather or linen material and held together with metal.
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If you were a Roman legionary you would hold your sword in one hand to attack the enemy and your shield in your other hand to protect your body and to push back the enemy.
There was a single handle at the back of the shield and the soldier's hand was protected at the front of the shield by an iron shield boss. The boss was in the centre of the shield and would help to make the shield stronger.
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By Rachel Hayward
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