Yetholm - type shield The Yetholm - type shield is a distinctive type of shield dating from 1200 - 800 BC ( Bronze Age ) . The known shield s come from Britain and Ireland , excepting one from Denmark . Their modern name comes from Yetholm in southern Scotland where a peat bog yielded three examples . Twenty two examples are known , although some of these are fragmentary , and a further seven or eight are known from written sources but are lost today . The shields vary significantly in size , but are otherwise similar . Rock carvings from this period made in Southern Scandinavia include depictions of shields decorated with concentric rings or rings of dots . The artist could not hope to show the fine detail of a Yetholm - type shield , but the similarity is striking . The impressive shields would have indicated high social status . Construction . The shields are made of a copper alloy sheet about 0 . 6 mm thick . The alloy is a high - tin bronze : copper with 11 - 14 % tin . They are round with a central domed boss created by hammering out from the back . The shield face is covered in raised ridges in concentric rings , each a couple of millimetres high . Between the ridges are rings of small hemispherical bosses about 4 mm across . Decoration was formed by hammering from the reverse ( Repoussé ) . The outer edge of the shield has been folded back and hammered down to form a strong rim . A handle made from a thicker piece of sheet bronze folded over is riveted across the open bowl of the boss , also attached are a pair of metal tabs for a carrying strap . Rivet heads for fitting attachments are on the front , but are similar to the decorative raised bosses and difficult to identify . Probably a flanged punch created the bosses to a uniform size and depth , although no contemporary tool has been found to accomplish this . The embossing would probably require the work piece to be supported , conceiveably by a bed of pitch or lead . That some eye - judgement was required is revealed in the detail of the spacing of the bosses : as the craftsman came to complete a ring , the spacing would be changed slightly so as to ensure an even design and make the starting place inconspicuous . The shields show a high degree of accomplishment , and given the degree of similarity , it is likely that all were made in the same workshop by a few craftsmen . Variations . Shields vary size and in the number of embossed rings , but the size of the embossed features is consistent . The largest shield ( found at Ayrshire ) has twenty nine circular ridges and twenty nine rings of bosses ; the smallest , originally thought to have been from County Antrim but actually from The River Thames , has eleven ridges and rings . The overall design , and especially the tabs , indicate that the shield did not have a wooden backing or other reinforcement . Although the embossed design and folded rim impart some stiffness , it might appear the shields were too flimsy for combat . In experimental archaeology , a reconstruction made from copper hardened so to match a Yetholm - type shield , and hit with a replica bronze sword : the shield was cut in two by a single stroke . Furthermore , the handles are quite small , allowing only about 110 mm for the fingers , making the shield difficult to manipulate in a combat . Some shields have damage likely to have occurred as a part of a sacrificial ceremony . The South Cadbury specimen was laid in a ditch and stabbed three times with a wooden stake . Its discovery prompted metallurgical analysis of this and other examples by Peter Northover , strongly suggesting that rather than a received range of 1000 to 800 BC these shields were manufactured in the 12th century BC . Carbon dating implied that the South Cadbury example was deposited in the mid 10th century BC . However , one shield from Long Wittenham in Oxfordshire , has two lozenge - shaped perforations , interpreted as piercings caused by a spearhead , other piercings hammered flat to close the gap , suggesting that the shield was a veteran of several combat encounters . With the exception of the specimen found at South Cadbury ( by archaeologist Ben Burston ) , all were found in wet contexts . They formed part of a widespread practice of placing valuable objects in wet places . Presumably , this practice was motivated by religious beliefs , the details of which are unknown - although other ancient societies such as the Celts had similar practices .