Shield-shaped Bronze Artifact

This bronze artifact is shaped like a shield, and is believed to have been a ritual object used by the chief priest during religious ceremonies. It was found in a wooden coffin burial from a stone mound tomb site in Namseong-ri, Asan, Chungnam Province. The three holes along the top of the artifact show traces of wear, indicating that the object was hung using strings or cords. The two upper corners of the artifact extend out like branches, each of which forms a bell at the end. The left and right sides of the body of the shield are distinctively concave-curved, resembling the inverted blade of a double-edged axe, with each lower corner culminating in a pair of extended branches. The surface of the shield is traversed by several decorative bands filled with patterns of dots, lines, and slashes. There are two prominent knobs on one side of the shield, and one more on the other side, each of which is threaded with a thick, corded ring of bronze.