Bronze Age Gold from Wales

Circular shield, of thin sheet copper alloy decorated with six concentric repoussé ribs, a similar repoussé moulding around the edge and a conical central boss flanked by two opposing conical studs, with two similar studs between the third and fourth ribs on opposing sides of the shield. There is significant damage to the edge on one side of the shield.

Sheet bronze shield, 1000-800 BCE. Found at Llanbedr, north-west Wales.

Making a shield like this required a different set of skills to bronze casting. Bronzesmiths mastered sheet-working techniques from around 3,300 years ago. This shield was hammered out from a cast circular disc about 15cm in diameter. To create a sheet this thin, it must have taken over 200 rounds of hammering, heating and slow cooling. The boss and circular ribs were hammered and punched from the back surface into a soft bed of pitch, soft clay or leather.

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