During the ancient Egyptian period there were no complex weapons to fight battles like the ones that are available today. Since the early Egyptian times the only weapon used for protecting the body of the soldiers during war was the shields. It is the earliest known protective armor.

The shields during ancient Egypt were rectangular in shape and were made from cowhide or ox hide. These shields were stretched over a wooden frame. In the early Egyptian period shields were of the same height as that of a man.

However, shields of one or one and a half meter height are also known to have been used by the ancient Egyptian warriors. The size of the shield used for fighting varied upon the usage of the weapon. Bronze shields were used at the time of the New Kingdom reign. The metal shields were ornamented by carving pictures on them.

Big shields were inconvenient during wars as they were heavy and restricted the time for which they could be carried. On the other hand, smaller shields were easy to manage and also served the purpose of protecting its user from being attacked.

By the early New Kingdom period the tall shields were replaced by smaller shields that had a tapered lower half. The ancient Egyptian shields had a handle or a leather strip which was placed at the centre of the wooden frame so as to give its user a good grip of the shield. The soldiers also used shields that could be carried by a strap slung over the shoulder. These kinds of shields gave more mobility to the user.

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This site covers all areas for Ancient Egyptian Facts. Besides the popular ancient egyptian topics for kids of Pharohs, Gods, Inventions, Religion. Itis one of the biggest websites for ancient egypt information for kids. Many college students use it for research on ancient egyptian times.

Money & Coins	Recreation Part 1	Trading of Goods
Famous Monuments	Recreation Part 2	Translation Of Hieroglyphics
Mummies / Mummification	Religion Part 1	Transportation System
Music in Ancient Egypt	Religion Part 2	Viziers Ranking
Musical Instruments	Religious Beliefs	Famous Wars Fought
Myths Part 1: Creation, Eye of Ra	Sarcophagus	Weaponry & Chain of Command
Myths Part 2: Death	Children's Schools	Common Weapons Used in War
Names and Meanings	Science and Technology	Women's Life Part 1
Numbering System	Role of Scribes	Women's Life Part 2
Obelisks Designs	Life of Slaves & Slavery	Status of Women
Paintings Style, Colours	Social Classes in Ancient Egypt	British Museum and Ancient Egypt
Papyrus Invention	Soldiers in the Army	Burial Tombs In Ancient Egypt
Pharaohs Dynasties	Sphinxes - majestic monuments	Concept of Afterlife
Pottery Designs	Common Sports Played	Farming In Ancient Egypt
Priests' Role	Famous Statues	Common Food and Drink
Process Of Embalming	Symbols and Meanings	King Tutankhamun of Egypt
Famous Proverbs	Tattoos and Designs	Sun God: Ra
Queens Part 1: Cleopatra	Technology Advancements	The Pyramids of Ancient Egypt
Queens Part 2: Other Queens	Temples' Significance	Valley of The Kings
Popular Quotes	Commonly used Tools	Pictures/Photos

This page last updated in Feb 2013