Adarga

The adarga was typically made from the hide of the antelope (certainly the Scimitar Oryx) and was extremely resistant to the blows of sword, lance, javelin, and arrow, but other kinds of leather were used as well.

Originally the adarga was round, then heart shaped, then finally it took the form of a pair of overlapping ellipses or ovals, measuring 69–80 cm (27–31.5 in) in the long axis.

Two or more layers of hide were glued and sewn together to make the adarga both rigid and elastic, and often decorated with incised and gilt ornaments, Moorish inscriptions, and metal appliques and borders.

Throughout the 14th and 15th centuries the adarga was also used by Christian Iberian soldiers and nobility, including their own light cavalry (Portuguese: ginetes; Spanish: jinetes), some of whom adopted Moorish fighting patterns.

[1] The majority of surviving adargas are highly ornamental with painted decoration and were used by iberian nobles in tournament cavalry combat, particularly in the juego de las cañas (es) / jogo das canas (pt) ("game of canes"), a sport of the 16th and 17th centuries involving teams of horsemen who hurled javelins made of cane at one another that had to be dodged or deflected with the adarga, imitating past battles against the Moors.