They were managed by means of a very simple handle, placed in the middle of the shield at the back, and fastened to it by studs or nails, which was not passed over the arm but grasped by the hand.

The rim was bent inwards, so as to form a deep groove all round the edge.
The material of which these shields were composed was in some cases certainly bronze; in others it may have been iron: in a few silver, or even gold.

Some metal shields were perfectly plain; others exhibited a number of concentric rings, others again were inlaid or embossed with tasteful and elaborate patterns.
[Illustration: PLATE 102] Among the later Assyrians the round metal shield seems to have been almost entirely disused, its place being supplied by a wicker buckler of the same shape, with a rim round the edge made of solid wood or of metal, and sometimes with a boss in the centre.

[PLATE CII., Fig.

1.] The weight of the metal shield must have been considerable; and this both limited their size and made it difficult to move them with rapidity.