The Shield of Aeneas is the

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...

that

Aeneas In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas (, ; from ) was a Trojan hero, the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the Greek goddess Aphrodite (equivalent to the Roman Venus). His father was a first cousin of King Priam of Troy (both being grandsons ...

receives from the god

Vulcan Vulcan may refer to: Mythology * Vulcan (mythology), the god of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, and the forge in Roman mythology Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * Vulcan (''Star Trek''), name of a fictional race and their home p ...

in Book VIII of

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...

's ''

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; la, Aenē̆is or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan_War#Sack_of_Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to ...

'' to aid in his war against the

Rutuli The Rutuli or Rutulians were an ancient people in Italy. The Rutuli were located in a territory whose capital was the ancient town of Ardea, located about 35 km southeast of Rome. Thought to have been descended from the Umbri and the Pelas ...

. Imprinted on the front of the shield is a grand depiction of the destiny of Aeneas' descendants and the future of Rome. This lengthy and intricate description within the epic's narrative represents one of the most famous instances of

ekphrasis The word ekphrasis, or ecphrasis, comes from the Greek for the written description of a work of art produced as a rhetorical or literary exercise, often used in the adjectival form ekphrastic. It is a vivid, often dramatic, verbal descrip ...

in extant Roman literature.

Overview

In Book VIII of the ''Aeneid'', Virgil describes how the goddess Venus, hoping to aid her son, urges her spouse, Vulcan, to forge for Aeneas a new shield to protect him in the imminent war against the native inhabitants of Italy. Virgil describes Vulcan as "not unversed in prophecy", that is, able to see the destiny of Aeneas' progeny, Rome: Several key moments in Roman history are depicted on the shield: #

Romulus and Remus In Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus (, ) are twin brothers whose story tells of the events that led to the founding of the city of Rome and the Roman Kingdom by Romulus, following his fratricide of Remus. The image of a she-wolf suckling the ...

suckling the she-wolf (lines 630–634) #The capture of the Sabine Woman (lines 635–641) #The death of

Mettius Fufetius Mettius Fufetius (died in ~670 BC) was a dictator of Alba Longa, an ancient town in central Italy near Rome. He was appointed to his position after the death of Alban king Gaius Cluilius. When a full-blown war threatened to erupt between the Alban ...

(lines 642–645) #The Siege of Rome by

Porsenna Lars Porsena (or Porsenna; Etruscan: ) was an Etruscan king (lar) known for his war against the city of Rome. He ruled over the city of Clusium ( Etruscan: ; modern Chiusi). There are no established dates for his rule, but Roman sources often pl ...

(lines 646–654) #The Gauls' attack on Rome (lines 655–662) #The

Battle of Actium The Battle of Actium was a naval battle fought between a maritime fleet of Octavian led by Marcus Agrippa and the combined fleets of both Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII Philopator. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC in the Ionian Sea, nea ...

(lines 671–713) #The Peaceful City, with

Augustus Caesar Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

standing triumphant in the center (lines 714–723)

Interpretations

Given that the shield is embellished by lavish pictures and intricate scenes, one of the most immediate interpretations is that the shield was primarily aesthetic in form and thus in function. Some scholars such as Warde Fowler, however, argue that the images depicted on the shield are so salient for Roman history that the shield should not be seen as merely a canvas for a painting. Likewise, Warde argues that the shield is not simply a practical piece of equipment to complement Vulcan's sword. Tempering both suggestions, both Warde and R. D. Williams argue that the shield serves as a symbol and foreshadow of Rome's future glory. Virgil's use of

is consistent with Homer, but Williams has noted that the saturation of significant scenes indicates that the shield serves more as a literary tool than a diagetical description. Likewise, both Williams and D. L. West have noted the composition of the shield and Virgil's description of its color, texture, and perspective to emphasize its symbolic quality. Similar to his own consistent indebtedness to Homer, Virgil is most likely drawing similarities and contrasts to Achilles' shield as described in book 18 of the ''Iliad''. Achilles' shield similarly depicts a set of sweeping images in concentric circles radiating outwards from a central scene of two cities: one at war, the other at peace. John Penwill has noted that, unlike Homer, Virgil reversed the order of images on Achilles' shield, emphasizing the centrality of Rome and the insignificance of barbarian life. Where Homer begins with the elements radiating outwards to the events of man, Virgil begins with Rome. This flattering portrait of Rome is highly consistent throughout the ''Aeneid'' and emphasizes the historical context of Rome beset by civil unrest. Virgil composed the ''Aeneid'' sometime between 29 and 19 BC in the middle of Rome's transition from Republic into Empire. By linking the founding of Rome to the already accepted body of Homeric literature, Virgil attempted to elevate Rome's stature both politically and symbolically. According to Kimberly Bell, the ''Aeneid'' served to " erpetuateAugustus's political agenda". With Aeneas wielding the shield in victory, the centrality of Rome coupled with flanking images of Roman triumphs culminating in the ascension of the Caesars links together its symbolic significance with Augustus' political fortunes.

References

{{reflist Roman shields Mythological shields Aeneid Hephaestus