Shield of King Pharnakes

An inscription running in a band around this bronze shield identifies it as belonging to King Pharnakes, who ruled the kingdom of Pontis on the shores of the Black Sea from about 185-160 B.C. A six-rayed star pattern decorates the center of the shield. The sharp, serrated edges of the shield were originally folded back over the shield's solid inner core and would not have been visible. In Greece, star patterns had decorated shields since at least the 600s B.C. By the late 400s, the star had become the symbol of the Macedonian royal house. However, given Pontis's eastern location and historical connections, the use of the star pattern on this shield probably owes more to an Iranian or Persian idea of the star's symbolism. In Iranian culture, this star pattern symbolizes the sun, and the use of sun symbolism on a royal shield was associated with the idea of universal kingship.