Protective screens are a kind of extremely simple but effective construction designed to protect attackers when they came under fire of defenders. The simplest type of screen was a wicker basket which could be used by a single warrior approaching fortress walls. In case when it was necessary to protect a group of armed men, there were constructed machines in a shape similar to a large, mostly rectangular shield equipped with a shaft and wheels so that they could be easily moved. Thick, often covered with metal coating and protected against fire planks were used, so the screen could also effectively protect against a gunpowder artillery. This is demonstrated by the usage of metal shields in the contemporary times – for example the soldiers of the First World War were protected by them. The next form of protective screen is also a shield protecting soldiers managing a modern cannon.
Chronology: from the antiquity to the 20th century.