Bronze Shield

This article is about the technology in Age of Empires. For the technology in Age of Mythology, see Bronze Shields.

Bronze Shield
Availability
Introduced in	Age of Empires
Civilization	All except Assyrians and Egyptians
Age	Bronze Age
Research
Researched at	Storage Pit
Required for	Iron Shield
Food	150
Gold	180
Research time	50 seconds
Effect
Infantry and Slingers +1 pierce armor

Bronze Shield is a technology in Age of Empires that can be researched at the Storage Pit once the Bronze Age is reached. Once researched, it adds +1 pierce armor to all infantry units and Slingers. In essence, it affects all Barracks and Academy units.

Bronze Shield is available to all civilizations except for the Egyptians and Assyrians.

Affected units

• Clubman
• Axeman
• Short Swordsman
• Broad Swordsman
• Long Swordsman
• Legionary
• Slinger
• Hoplite
• Phalangite
• Centurion

Civilization bonuses

• Choson: Since update 38862, Storage Pit technologies cost -40%.

Team bonuses

• Palmyrans: Researching Bronze Shield is 30% faster.

History

“	The shield was probably the first piece of military equipment developed to protect a warrior. The earliest were made of wood or wood and hide, and were in various shapes. They were carried in the hand or on the forearm and used to ward off blows or missiles in battle. Shield designs and materials evolved to keep up with advances in weapons. Wood and hide shields were easy to smash with bronze weapons, so bronze shields were developed. Bronze shields also provided better defense against missiles. Arrows, especially with metal points, were prone to lodge in wooden shields. This increased the weight of the shield and made it more unwieldy. Roman legions threw spears at barbarian formations mainly so they would pierce and weigh down the enemy's shield just before closing. Arrows and other missiles deflected off bronze shields without penetration.	”
—Age of Empires manual