I. Introduction

Abstract

Archaeologists have shown uneven interest in the three principal forms of weapon used in Early Anglo-Saxon England (fifth to seventh centuries). Swords, the rarest, have appeared disproportionately interesting, no doubt because of their greater decoration and élite associations, though most analyses have been devoted to particular examples. Spearheads, the most common form, have been justly treated now on a comprehensive basis (Swanton 1973 and 1974). But with the notable exception of Vera Evison's pioneering paper (1963), which concentrated on the late ‘sugar-loaf’ type, there has been a dearth of published interest in shields.