Bronze shield of King Pharnakes of Pontus, 2nd century BCE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Shield\_Pharnakes\_Getty\_Villa\_80.AC.60.jpg

Bronze? Heavy AF. You have to have muscles to be waving that thing around for any amount of time. So mostly ornamental? I don't have a clear picture of which periods kings were actually active in combat. Some periods and places, it seems common; others, they were more rear field commanders.