- The Army, Weapons and Fighting -
disadvantage because they might be pierced or even pinned together by spears and
thus become too heavy to wield. The Gauls are also reported to have used shields
made of bark or wickerwork, hastily covered with skins.
British shields stand apart from the European examples not only because
of the range of shape and use of richly decorated bronze bosses, but also because of
the discovery of shields with elaborate bronze sheeting and bosses from Witham
(Lincolnshire) and Battersea (London) as well as a complete shield from Chertsey
(Surrey) (Stead 1985, 1987, 1991C). Discussion of British shields highlights the
dilemma outlined at the beginning of this chapter: everyday examples are very few,
whereas exquisitely decorated pieces such as the boss from Llyn Cerrig Bach
(Anglesey) and fittings from Tal y Llyn (Merioneth) could not have been appreciated
on the battlefield, and the objects they represent may have been visual metaphors
of warrior status for ceremonial occasions (Fox 1947; Savory 1964). Similarly, the
magnificent bronze shields from Witham, Battersea and Chertsey may be symbols
of position and wealth as well as demonstrating the importance of weaponry in
religious depositions; several examples of model shields are miniature versions,
perhaps for religious or votive dedications (Cunliffe 1991: 514; Stead 1991C). Of
the small number of British burials with weapons, very few have surviving parts
of a shield, the most remarkable being that from Owslebury, in Hampshire, which
has a bronze boss with a central point (Collis 1973; Dent 1983).
MAIL AND BODY ARMOUR
Varro records that the invention of the shirt of mail of interlocking rings belongs
to Celtic armourers, although doubtless its use was very restricted. A small number
of pieces is known, including Ciumesti and Kirkburn, as well as representations at
Pergamon and Vacheres. Mail shirts protected the torso to below the waist and often
had broad shoulder straps with decorative rosettes; the shoulder pieces must not only
have provided additional protection but also helped to spread the weight that a
warrior would have to bear in the field. The use of mail clearly ran counter to tradi-
tions of disregard for body armour and the pride in nakedness noted by Diodorus
Siculus: 'Some of them have iron breast plates wrought in chain, while others are
satisfied with the arms nature has given them and fight naked' (History V.30.3). The
sculpture from Entremont has been interpreted as showing either mail shirts with
shoulder and pectoral decoration or leather body armour with bronze rosettes and
figural decoration (Benoit 1955). A delightful small bronze figure from Gutenberg
(Liechtenstein) wears what is more certainly a leather cuirasse with well-marked
shoulder pieces and a fringed hem. Such model figures as that from Saint-Maur-en-
Chaussee (Oise) and Gutenberg were clearly figures of warrior gods, but there is no
reason to think that the representation of the tunics is not accurate. Only the
Gundestrup Cauldron offers more detailed representation with the foot soldiers and
carnyx-blowers wearing long-sleeved singlets and tight trousers akin to cycling
shorts and the horsemen have waist-length tunics of similar material (Klindt-Jensen
1961 ).