A desperate act by Roman soldiers during a siege accidentally preserved one of the most important military artifacts ever discovered. The Scutum of Dura Europos is the only surviving example of the famous rectangular shield carried by Roman legionaries. It was discovered at the ancient city of Dura Europos in modern-day Syria, a Roman frontier settlement that became a battlefield in 256 AD when the city was attacked by the Sasanian Empire. As enemy forces threatened the city walls, Roman soldiers rushed to reinforce their defenses. They packed earth and debris into the fortifications to prevent a collapsing wall from falling. Among the materials sealed inside was a soldier’s shield. For nearly 1,800 years, the wooden scutum remained hidden within the defensive structure, protected from the elements that would normally destroy such a fragile object. Unlike metal weapons or stone monuments, wooden military equipment rarely survives from the ancient world. The discovery gave #historians an incredibly rare look at the equipment of ordinary Roman #soldiers. The shield still preserved traces of its original construction, including layers of wood, leather, and painted decoration. It revealed details about how Roman armies protected themselves during the empire’s final centuries. The #scutum was more than a piece of #armor. It represented the discipline and organization that helped Rome build one of history’s greatest military powers. A shield placed into a wall during a moment of crisis became a message from a soldier who lived nearly two thousand years ago. A forgotten battlefield preserved the last surviving shield of #Rome. - @idespondent