Early Anglo-Saxon shields

Based on two partly overlapping samples of data, the volume provides an analysis of the forms, manufacture and uses of shields in the Early Saxon period. A computer-based typology of boss forms provides a chronological framework against which typological study of other fittings and detailed technological analysis are set. Together with a discussion of the use of the shield in combat and its role in the burial ritual, these suggest not only that formal change was interrelated with technological advances and changes in fighting practices, but also, and in particular, how the shield was used symbolically, playing a part in social as much as in military relationships. Includes French and German summaries; also includes