Roman Helm sequence

[Doug Strong]

Please forgive my ignorance. I tired searching for this but did not find anything. Perhaps I just missed it though. I am really struggling to know what helmets go with what dates. Is there a good resource out there? I can tell at a glance the date of medieval helmets but Imperial Gallic H and Collius and the like have me baffled.

[Tarbicus]

This is a good start, but doesn't use the Robinson classification system.

[url:3dbe7xjt]http://www.romancoins.info/MilitaryEquipment-Helmet.html[/url]

Others:
[url:3dbe7xjt]http://www.legionsix.org/helmet.htm[/url]
[url:3dbe7xjt]http://www.larp.com/legioxx/helmets.html[/url]

[FAVENTIANVS]

http://www.hetmanmilitaria.com/typology_diagram.jpg
http://www.hetmanmilitaria.com/typology_diagram1.jpg
http://www.hetmanmilitaria.com/typology_diagram2.jpg

[Doug Strong]

Thanks, that is just the sort of stuff I was looking for.

[Robert Vermaat]

http://www.hetmanmilitaria.com/typology_diagram2.jpg

Beware, Hetman got their AD's and BC's mixed up in this one.

[Caballo]

Thanks for posting these. A lot of interesting stuff!

For example, in http://www.hetmanmilitaria.com/typology_diagram1.jpg (originally from the Marcus Junkelmann book, Romische Helme) the Italic D / Mainz Weisenau is placed firmly as a second half of the second century helmet, where Robinson had it as a late first century helmet. This would presumably also be the situation for the Krefeld helmet.

Cheers

Caballo

[FAVENTIANVS]

http://www.hetmanmilitaria.com/typology_diagram2.jpg

Beware, Hetman got their AD's and BC's mixed up in this one.

Nice new avatar BTW... :wink:

[Robert Vermaat]

Nice new avatar BTW... :wink:

Thanks :wink:

[Crispvs]

At the risk of starting another argument about the Imperial Italic 'D' from Mainz, I would contend, based on its shape and size, that the helmet's manufacture should be understood to have been during the mid first century AD. I would conceed however (as did Robinson in this case, if you read carefully) that the helmet may have stayed in service for a very long time and that its appearance may have been updated later on (Robinson notes that the copper-alloy appliqees are similar in nature to appliquees found on "Cavalry" 'D' and 'E' type helmets).
However, I have not been able to examine the helmet myself and even if I did I am not sure I would be able to see whether it had been modified or not. In the absence, then, of explicit statements to that effect, I think it best that the Mainz Imperial Italic 'D' helmet (as well as the Krefeld helmet) should be dated to the second or third quarter of the first century AD and should for the time being be thought of as having been so decorated from the start. This is supported by the evidence of the Imperial Italic 'E' helmet from Hoffheim, which is very similar but which has been stripped of its fittings.


Crispvs

[Caballo]

Thanks Crispus, good point. I hadn't thought of the helmet being updated- and another example of that comes from Kaciga (illustrated in the Miliaria Sisciensia book).

I suspect that many of these helmets were used and reused , and updated to keep up with the fashion. How long they were used for is a question I'd love to know the answer to.....

Cheers

Caballo