2-605-079 - © CM Dixon/Heritage Images

Detail of the Battersea Shield, Iron Age, c350-c50 BC. The La Tène-style scrolling decoration is made using the repoussé technique, emphasized with engraving and stippling. The Battersea shield was not made for serious warfare, instead, it was probably made for display. It was finally thrown or placed in the River Thames, where many weapons were offered as sacrifices in the Bronze Age and Iron Age. From the British Museum's collection.