260 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



handle, leaving a corresponding hole on the side of the boss ; on the 

 other the lacing has remained attached to the boss , and the aperture is in 

 the handle. As can be noticed from the illustration (Plate XIII., fig. 2), the 

 edge of the leather on each side of the handle has been stitched, possibly to 

 contain an inside strengthening of wood. 



In general appearance the shield resembles a circular bronze shield found 

 at Bingen on the Ehiue (Plate XIV., fig. 1), figured by Lindenschmit,^ while 

 the disposition of a central boss surrounded by one gapped and two indented 

 ribs recalls the slightly oblong bronze shield found in a bog at Halland,^ 

 Sweden (Plate XIV., fig. 2), and the two bronze shields of similar shape found 

 near Magdeburg,^ North Germany (Plate XIV., fig. 3). 



The leather shield may also be compared with two other shields found in 

 Ireland. The first (Plate XIV., fig. 5) is the fine circular bronze shield found 

 near Lough Gur,* County Limerick. This is a good example of the ordinary 

 Bronze Age type of shield, with its central circular boss surrounded by 

 numerous circles and small circular bosses. The second (Plate XIV., fig. 4) is 

 the interesting alder-wood shield found 10 feet deep in a bog in 1863 at 

 Annadale, County Lei trim,* and presented to the Eoyal Irish Academy by 

 William Slacke, Esq. The illustration is taken from a cast made soon after 

 the shield was discovered and before it had shrunk to its present size. The 

 cast measures 2 feet 2\ inches in length and 1 foot f inch broad, while the 

 original now measures only 2 feet If inch in length and 1 foot 4| inches in 

 breadth. It will be noted that in this example the boss as well as the shield 

 is oblong, and that the ribs show an indentation upon one side of the boss. 



The circular bronze shields of Upper and Western Europe, such as the 

 Lough Gur shield (Plate XIV., fig. 5), have been usually placed in the Late 

 Bronze Age, although no example has so far been found associated with 

 objects of a character sufficient to fix the date. The oval shield is supposed 

 to have succeeded this type, and may be taken as partly transitional in form 

 to the oblong shield of South Europe. The oval shield from Halland 

 (Plate XIV., fig. 2) (as appears from its ornamentation, a procession of birds) 

 possibly belongs to the Hallstatt period. 



It may be questioned whether the leather shield is complete in itself, and 

 if so was it used as a weapon. It shows no signs of having had any supports 

 of wood or other material at the back, nor is it apparent how the leather could 

 have been attached to such a backing. Professor W. Eidgeway's w^ork, " The 



1 Lindensclimit, Alt. u. h. Vorz., Band i., Heft 11, Taf. i. Nos. 4 and 5. 



- Lindensclimit, Alt. u. h. Vorz., Band ui.. Heft 7, Taf. ii. No. 3. 



3 Lindenschiidt, Alt. u. h. Vorz., Band in., Heft 7, Taf. ii. Nos. 1 and 2. 



* Proc. R.I. A., vol. i., 2nd sen, 1879, p. 155. 



* Proc. R.I. A., vol. viii., 1861-64, p. 488. 



