What is "clipeus"

n. 1 A shield worn by soldiers of ancient Greece and Rome 2 An ornamental disk of marble in this shape 3 Part of the exoskeleton of an insect between the carapace and mandibles

In the military of classical antiquity, a clipeus ( Ancient Greek: ἀσπίς) was a large shield worn by the Greeks and Romans as a piece of defensive armor, which they carried upon the arm, to secure them from the blows of their enemies. It was round in shape and in the middle was a bolt of iron, or of some other metal, with a sharp point.