Umbo (shield boss)

The iron umbo, i.e. the top of the shield, together with the sword with a copper inlay depicting Mars and Victoria, spearheads, a spar fitting and a pair of spurs are part of the rich equipment of a warrior of the Przeworsk culture from the Roman period, discovered in a mortuary grave at the archaeological site in Podlodów near Tomaszów Lubelski.

The artefacts were found in 1959 by accident during agricultural works. Since 1960, they have been one of the most valuable archaeological mementoes in the Lublin Museum's collection.

Apart from the umbo, the grave furnishings included: a sword, the hilt of which is decorated with a copper inlay as a figural representation of Roman deities, two iron spurs, two ritually bent and broken iron javelin arrowheads, a ferrule (probably a javelin spar fitting), and a bent javelin arrowhead with a silver inlay on the leaf and sleeve. Umbo is a metal part, usually wooden, of a warrior's shield. In the middle of it there was a circular hole, in which a handle, the so-called imacz, was placed. Ametal, arched top, called umba, was attached to the outside of the hole to protect the hand holding the shield. It served not only to protect the hand, but was also adapted for striking blows.

The specimen from Podlodów has a long blunt spike. The construction of the weapon is unique. The iron dome and collar of the umbrella were covered with a layer of copper sheet, which has an aesthetic value and testifies to the high level of metallurgy at that time. The whole set of weapons, dated to the beginning of the 3rd century AD, most probably belonged to the equipment of an equestrian warrior belonging to the elite of the population of the Przeworsk culture.