The Roman shield was made from double or triple plywood and edged with copper. They were curved and usually oval or rectanglar. Shields were carried in the soldiers left hands. The soldiers learned to lock their shields together to make a formation called a tortoise. This made a protective barrier against the enemies' arrows and stones.

We made these shields from poster board. The fronts were decorated using permanet markers and glitter. We attached an additional piece of poster board to the back to slide our arms through. With the extra piece taped to the back we could easily hold the shields.