Round shield "tafa gašša" ·  Ethiopia, Amhara · ID: 3050159

Description

hide, metal mountings, rest., handle loose

Possession of a fine shield among the Amhara was much like owning a sword, horse or a matchlock - items regarded with reverence among warrriors and chieftains.

Shields added weight to the owner’s importance and were often carried by young boys behind their masters at public meetings or gatherings. They were displayed as emblems of status or rank and also as accessories of dance during festival or commemorative ceremonies or after a victory.

As the Ethiopian empire grew in prominence after the Amharic conquests, gold embellishment began to appear on shields.

Particularly valuable specimens, covered with velvet and decorated with silver-plated or gold-plated fittings, were presented as valuable gifts to high-ranking visitors and friendly heads of state as early as the time of Emperor Menelik II (1889-1913).

Comparing literature

Barbier, Jean Paul & Purissima Benitez-Johannot, Shields, Munich, London, New York 2000, p. 98, ill. 32