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archeologist discovered an Iron Age bark shield near Enderby , a township southwest of the city of Leicester in the United Kingdom .
Though archeologist knew that people from this period made barque bowls and boxes , this is the first evidence that Iron Age people used the seemingly fragile material for a shield , according to statementreleased by the University of Leicester Archaeological Services .
Researchers discovered a new Iron Age shield in Leicester.
Radiocarbon dating suggested the shell was made sometime between 395 and 255 B.C. , which dates it to the midsection of theIron Age . It was crafted from either alder tree , willow tree , poplar , hazel or spindle bark and stiffened to withstand pressure with cartoon strip of either Malus pumila , pear , quince or hawthorn wood . It also had a woven boss , or a round piece of material that shields against reversal , that protect its hold . The exterior of the shield sported a checkerboard approach pattern in crimson mineral paint . [ In photo : Boneyard of Iron Age warrior ]
The archaeologists discovered the shield on tillage in 2015 , in a tearing hole that was used by Iron Age and papist community . It ’s not clear why the shield was at the bottom of a pit . investigator think it was either broken and hurl away or placed there as part of a ritual , according to theUniversity of Leicester .
The shield was very damaged and the researchers are now trying to figure out how it was damage — was it pierced by spears during battle orsomething else only ?
Researchers discovered a new Iron Age shield in Leicester.
Radiocarbon dating suggests that the buckler was used for about a decade before being thrown in the hole .
Though it ’s strange that this bark buckler survived to this day , it was probably not one of a kind , but was probably a common character of shield at the time , allot to the financial statement .
Last twelvemonth , the researchers conducted an experiment to re - make bark shields , and find that they would be tough enough to withstand twinge from blade andarrows . Though barque is n’t as hard as solid wood or metal , it ’s lighter , allowing a fighter to be quicker and more nomadic , according to the statement .
University of Leicester archaeologists discovered the Iron Age bark shield at the bottom of a watering hole.
Originally published onLive Science .
