Why did leather shields make a comeback in the age of steel?
What made this shield so effective?
The Royal Armoury in Madrid’s Palacio Real is one of the finest collections of its kind in the world. But not all of the armour here is made of steel. One of the most precious pieces is made entirely from leather. It’s a shield called an adarga and its design was so effective, it was used in both the Old and New Worlds – in conflicts more than 200 years apart.
What made this shield so effective? And why was it brought back into battle centuries after it had been forgotten?
The answers are a museum secret.
1 Comments
me • #75 • 2014-05-14 22:21:13
nice