DON'T DROP THE SHIELD. This week's Custom LEGO Shield Spotlight features the Spartan Shield, an iconic and integral accessory of the great Spartan warriors of Ancient Greece. Quick fact: that's not an upside-down V on the face of the shield, it's actually the Greek letter lambda, which stood for Laconia or Lacedaemon, the region that Sparta ruled. The Spartan Shield was used as both an offensive and defensive mechanism, being used to bash opponents or, when gathered, to form a shield wall to protect from enemy arrows. The shield was so highly thought of that, when going to war, the warriors were expected to bring it home or be carried home on it. Quite reassuring. The Spartan look is completed with a Spartan Helmet, Spartan Plume, and Sarissa Spear.