The _adargas_, or shields, are more varied: they were frequently adopted by the Christians. They were generally round, with a salient point in the centre, _ombilicus_, or a sort of iron grating made for the purpose of entangling the adversary's sword. These shields were of wood or thick cowhide, _vacaries_, and were decorated outside in a variety of ways, sometimes with pierced iron plates or bands of leather, forming arabesques; and at other times with an ornamentation of iron, and leather embroidered with gold and silver, with rich hanging tassels and pendants. Shields of a prolonged form were also very constantly used, terminating in a semicircle in the upper part, and in the lower by a sharp point or a semicircle at the top and bottom, as may be seen in the paintings of the Sala de la Justicia at the Alhambra. A good collection of round shields may be seen at the Armoury at Madrid: they are not earlier in date than the 15th century, the most interesting among them are Nos. 233, 253, 389, 595, and 607 of the Catalogue. Some of them are exquisite in work and detail. These shields, although belonging to the latest period of the middle ages, were used before this time, for they appear on the ivory casket existing at the cathedral of Pamplona, [V. Ivories, p. 130], dated A.D. 1005, and in miniatures of Spanish MSS. of that date. One of the best examples, which may be mentioned to confirm these indications, will be found in a MS. at the British Museum (Add. ii., 695), which was painted during a period of twenty years in the monastery of Silos, near Burgos, and finished and completed A.D. 1109. Mr. Shaw, in his "Dresses and Decorations," vol. v., reproduces some of these figures, and says: "The figures which form our plate represent Spanish warriors of the later part of the 11th century, and are interesting on account of their remarkable resemblance to the Anglo-Norman soldiers on the celebrated Bayeux tapestry. This resemblance is observable in the style of the drawing, as well as in the costumes. It is highly probable that the military habits of this period were borrowed from the Saracens. This supposition is strengthened by the fact that Arabic inscriptions in Cufic letters are found among the ornaments of the several robes still preserved which belonged to German and Frankish barons of the 10th and 11th centuries. One peculiarity of our Spanish warriors is the round shield with the elegant ornaments on the disc."