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🎨 Bronze Shieldband from Olympia (Olympia B1801; LIMC Achilleus 376)

  • Date (ca. 600-575 BCE): DAD. Mythical scenes identified: b) Achilles killing Troilos; c) Orestes killing Aigisthos; d) Zeus with thunderbolt fights Typhon; e) Aias rapes Cassandra; f) Gigantomachy (Bol) or Heracles fights Geras (Kunze). A shieldband is a strip of bronze that runs vertically through the interior of a hoplite shield, covering the central armband. They are often decorated with sequences of stamped reliefs (“metopes”). Many have been excavated at Olympia in contexts that suggest they were used as fill material. These were most likely made in Argos or Corinth and dedicated at the sanctuary. Data for shieldbands from Olympia in MANTO is largely based on the Gdańsk Decorated Armour Database (DAD); two volumes from the Olympische Forschungen series (Kunze, Archaische Schildbander (Berlin, 1950), and Bol, Argivische Schilde (Berlin, 1989); and LIMC. “SB” denotes the DAD catalog, “OF” denotes Kunze’s catalog, and “H” denotes Bol’s additions to Kunze’s catalog.
  • Source subtype
    Weaponry
    Period
    Middle Archaic (ca. 620-560 BCE)
    Place of creation
    🌍 Corinth (Argolid)  🌍 Argos (city)
    Place of recovery
    🌍 Olympia (Elis)
    UNESCO status
    In a collection or on the market prior to ratification
    Collection
    Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Ολυμπίας / Archaeological Museum, Olympia
    Inventory number
    B1801
    Other identifiers
    SB1, OF1
    Artifact URL
    https://dad.ug.edu.pl/decorated_armour/SB1
    LIMC catalog references
    Achilleus 376
    Digital LIMC URL
    https://ark.dasch.swiss/ark:/72163/1/080E/igjpqLSUUo=WmOlYKzvpPww.20160506T011528Z
    Has depictions of
    👥 the Giants👥 the Olympian Gods👤 Heracles greatest Greek hero🏺 the Sword of Heracles weapon of Heracles👤 Geras personification of old age👤 Achilles greatest Greek hero at Troy, leader of the Myrmidon contingent👤 Troilos son of Priam or Apollo and Hecabe🏛️ the Temple of Apollo Thymbraios at Thymbra (Troad)👤 Aigisthos son of Thyestes👤 Orestes (s. of Agamemnon) son of Agamemnon and Clytaimnestra👤 Zeus (Olympian) Olympian god👤 Typhon son of Ge🏺 the Thunderbolt of Zeus👤 Aias (the lesser) son of Oileus, leader of the Locrian contingent at Troy, 'the lesser'👤 Cassandra a prophet never believed, daughter of Priam and Hecabe🏺 the Palladion (statue) statue of Athena protecting Troy
    Commentary
    Date (ca. 600-575 BCE): DAD. Mythical scenes identified: b) Achilles killing Troilos; c) Orestes killing Aigisthos; d) Zeus with thunderbolt fights Typhon; e) Aias rapes Cassandra; f) Gigantomachy (Bol) or Heracles fights Geras (Kunze). A shieldband is a strip of bronze that runs vertically through the interior of a hoplite shield, covering the central armband. They are often decorated with sequences of stamped reliefs (“metopes”). Many have been excavated at Olympia in contexts that suggest they were used as fill material. These were most likely made in Argos or Corinth and dedicated at the sanctuary. Data for shieldbands from Olympia in MANTO is largely based on the Gdańsk Decorated Armour Database (DAD); two volumes from the Olympische Forschungen series (Kunze, Archaische Schildbander (Berlin, 1950), and Bol, Argivische Schilde (Berlin, 1989); and LIMC. “SB” denotes the DAD catalog, “OF” denotes Kunze’s catalog, and “H” denotes Bol’s additions to Kunze’s catalog.
  • MANTO aggregates data about ancient artifacts from information made available through publications, collections records, and other repositories. More details about the sources we have used frequently appear in Commentary. If you notice any omissions or inaccuracies, please contact us.

    Cite as: '🎨 Bronze Shieldband from Olympia (Olympia B1801; LIMC Achilleus 376)', MANTO, https://resource.manto.unh.edu/11324462 [last modified: 21 05 2025]
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