Greek
Aegis
Aegis (Αἰγίς)
Shaken, it raises storms and sends enemy armies fleeing in terror.
ArmorFirst recorded c. 750 BCE
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Photograph: A close view of the lower part of the steel shield of Henry II of France, about 1555. A cavalry battle fills the central oval, with figure medallions and floral relief around it and rivets along the edge.
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4,000 × 2,952 PX4000×2952
ArchiveGreek · Armor
Shield of Achilles
Shield of Achilles
A shield of five layers forged by a god, with the whole world engraved on its face.
- Owner
- Achilles
- Maker
- Hephaestus, god of the forge
- First record
- Homer, Iliad, Book 18c. 750 BCE
- Gallery
- Greek
Notes on the photograph 3
Story
When Achilles's friend Patroclus went out in his borrowed armor and fell to Hector, the armor passed into enemy hands. Seeing her son's grief, the sea goddess Thetis went to the forge of Hephaestus and asked for new arms.
Book 18 of the Iliad follows the making of the shield for more than a hundred and thirty lines. At the center are earth, sky and sea, the sun, moon and constellations. Around them a city at peace, with wedding feasts and a trial, faces a city at war, besieged and preparing an ambush.
Farmers plowing, children picking grapes, cattle attacked by lions and young people dancing in a circle follow one after another, and the river Oceanus runs around the outermost edge. Taking up the shield, Achilles returns to battle and kills Hector.
The photograph is a close view of the parade shield of Henry II of France. Scenes of cavalry combat are embossed on its steel surface and enriched with gold and silver.
The object in the photo
The photograph shows Shield of Henry II of France (reigned 1547–59)(French, ca. 1555), a real museum object that evokes the legendary artifact.
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