This bronze plate is probably an episema, a symbol which could be applied to the centre of a shield and was a particularly visible element in battle. The represented figure is most likely the hero Taras, the mythical founder of Taranto astride a dolphin, bearing a considerable resemblance to the depiction of the hero on Taranto staters (coins) dating from 380/345 BCE – almost contemporary with the manufacture of this plate. The craftsmanship is of high quality and would probably have included inserts in precious metals and ivory. Its relatively small scale means the episema probably did not adorn a weapon seized from an enemy and subsequently used as an offering, but that this was an object with a votive function from its conception.
The presence of a shield clearly manufactured in Taranto within a major sanctuary in Lucania points to there being good relations between the two communities at this time, or at least that there were hopes there would be.