The Viking shields found on the Gokstad ship may have been used in combat1 min read

Dozens of Viking round shields from a famous ship burial unearthed in Gokstad (southern Norway) in 1880 were not strictly ceremonial, as long thought: they may have protected warriors in battle, a new study found. A reanalysis of the wooden shields suggests they may have once been covered with rawhide (untanned cattle skin) and used in hand-to-hand combat.

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