Moel Hebog shield

Moel Hebog shield
Moel Hebog shield
Tarian Moel Hebog
	Moel Hebog shield. Wales, 1300–1000 BC. On display at the British Museum.
Material	Welsh sheet-bronze
Discovered	1300–1000 BC
Present location	British Museum
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The Moel Hebog shield (Welsh: Tarian Moel Hebog) or Moel Siabod shield^[1] is a large copper-alloy Yetholm-type shield from Bronze Age Britain, found in North Wales in 1784, and now held in storage at the British Museum in London. It dates from 1300–1000 BC.

Description

The late Bronze Age shield was found in a bog near Moel Hebog mountain in 1784, near Beddgelert, Snowdonia, North Wales. It was initially "given into the hands of Mr. Williams of Llanidan", MP and copper mining magnate.^[2] It is now held in the British Museum's collection, but is not on public display.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6] Other sources point to a finding on Moel Siabod.^[1]^[7]

Only 25 shields of this type are known from Britain and Ireland, and the Moel Hebog shield is one of only two discovered in Wales. The other Welsh shield, the Rhos Rydd Shield, was found at Rhos Rydd, Aberllolwyn, Aberystwyth, in Ceredigion.^[1]

The shield is made from a single disc of bronze, hammered into a circular shape with a conical boss at the centre, surrounded by 27 concentric rows and ribs. The conical boss has a handle attached at its back and the entire shield is 64cm in diameter.^[5]^[8] It is considered to be in perfect condition.^[8]

Richard Blurton wrote of the shield in the book The Enduring Image: Treasures from the British Museum, "This shield is a splendid example, representative of the rise of large sheet-bronze work in later Bronze Age Europe. Much effort was directed towards the production of ceremonial metal armour indicating the prevalence of the idea of man as a warrior."^[9]

A copy of the Moel Hebog shield is owned by Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales but is not on display.^[1]

There have been calls for this and other artefacts to be returned to Wales.^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]^[14]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Bronze Age Shield - Findspot, Moel Siabod (512940)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
^ A short account of Caernarvon, and Bedd-kill-hart, or, Beddgelart. T. Roberts. 1806.
^ "shield | British Museum". The British Museum. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
^ "Buried treasure: calls for important Welsh artefacts to be brought back home". Nation.Cymru. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
^ ^a ^b A short account of Caernarvon, and Bedd-kill-hart, or, Beddgelart. 1806. p. 25.
^ "Shield Museum number 1873,0210.1 British Museum Collection search BCB55443". British Museum. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
^ Walford, Edward; Cox, John Charles; Apperson, George Latimer (1911). The Antiquary. E. Stock. p. 63.
^ ^a ^b "The British Museum Images". British Museum Images. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
^ Blurton (1997). The Enduring Image: Treasures from the British Museum.
^ "Buried treasure: calls for important Welsh artefacts to be brought back home". Nation.Cymru. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
^ "Artefacts should be returned to Wales as British Museum 'isn't safe', says Liz Saville Roberts". ITV News. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
^ "British Museum thefts: Welsh politicians join the queue in calling for objects to be repatriated". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
^ "British Museum's Welsh artefacts 'should return to Wales'". Sky News. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
^ Evans, Harri (27 August 2023). "Bring Mold gold cape back to Wales plea after British Museum treasures stolen". North Wales Live. Retrieved 15 April 2025.

[:0-1] "Bronze Age Shield - Findspot, Moel Siabod (512940)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 18 January 2023.

[2] A short account of Caernarvon, and Bedd-kill-hart, or, Beddgelart. T. Roberts. 1806.

[3] "shield | British Museum". The British Museum. Retrieved 18 January 2023.

[4] "Buried treasure: calls for important Welsh artefacts to be brought back home". Nation.Cymru. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2022.

[:1-5] A short account of Caernarvon, and Bedd-kill-hart, or, Beddgelart. 1806. p. 25.

[6] "Shield Museum number 1873,0210.1 British Museum Collection search BCB55443". British Museum. Retrieved 15 April 2025.

[7] Walford, Edward; Cox, John Charles; Apperson, George Latimer (1911). The Antiquary. E. Stock. p. 63.

[:2-8] "The British Museum Images". British Museum Images. Retrieved 15 April 2025.

[9] Blurton (1997). The Enduring Image: Treasures from the British Museum.

[10] "Buried treasure: calls for important Welsh artefacts to be brought back home". Nation.Cymru. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2022.

[11] "Artefacts should be returned to Wales as British Museum 'isn't safe', says Liz Saville Roberts". ITV News. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2025.

[12] "British Museum thefts: Welsh politicians join the queue in calling for objects to be repatriated". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2025.

[13] "British Museum's Welsh artefacts 'should return to Wales'". Sky News. Retrieved 15 April 2025.

[14] Evans, Harri (27 August 2023). "Bring Mold gold cape back to Wales plea after British Museum treasures stolen". North Wales Live. Retrieved 15 April 2025.

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