It's a drop-shaped shield that can serve well as a shield in melee combat. The shield is an ancient hand-held defensive weapon designed to parry blows and arrows. The shield can be round or rectangular in shape. It can be made of different materials such as metal, wood, leather. In Europe, shields were widely used for military purposes until the 17th century, when firearms greatly reduced their effectiveness. Modified bulletproof shields are still used today by police in many countries around the world. The oldest forms of shield were used to defend against attacks with hand-to-hand weapons such as swords, axes and maces, or for cover from ranged weapons such as stones and arrows. With the passage of time and the development of material processing, a variety of shields made of leather, rattan, wood or metal began to be used. Many of the surviving metal shields from ancient times are more ceremonial.