12-12-2003, 12:00 AM
This is a continuation of a subject raised on the two posts below, 'Quosque Tandem' and 'Third century helmet question' - as it departs slightly from both I thought I'd start a new one.<br>
<br>
The 'Siege of Verona' frieze on the Arch of Constantine depicts Roman soldiers wearing an unusual pattern helmet - both Constantine's troops and those of Maxentius seem to be wearing it, and to my eye it doesn't look like anything I've seen on a 'later Roman' reconstruction. Here is the link to the frieze image (which hopefully should work this time!):<br>
<br>
sights.seindal.dk/photo/8172,s299.html<br>
<br>
It has been said that the veracity these friezes cannot be trusted, but in this case it seems to me that such a particular and unusual detail must be based on something other than the wild whim of the sculptor. These helmets reminded me of pictures I'd seen of Carolingian soldiers - I did a quick search and found this site:<br>
<br>
www.geocities.com/egfroth...khelm.html<br>
<br>
I don't know whether 'Frankhelm' is a generic name or just what the author of the page chose to call it! I also think his reconstruction doesn't much resemble the Arch frieze models - but his source illustrations are interesting - particularly the 'Rome as warrior queen' relief. Could this sort of helmet be similar to those on the Arch?<br>
<br>
Then I discovered a series of coins issued by Constantine and his Caesars, many of which showed on the reverse two standing soldiers. Virtually all of the soldiers appeared to be wearing these odd helmets! Here's one by Delmatius Caesar:<br>
<br>
www.wildwinds.com/coins/r...IC_153.jpg<br>
<br>
Lastly, there's the Notitia Dignitatum. I'd always considered the pictures of weapons and armour on some of the pages to be the inventions of the medieval copyists, but now I'm not so sure. Take a look at this one:<br>
<br>
www.ne.jp/asahi/luke/ueda...orumW.html<br>
<br>
The drawings are crude, but those bell-shaped helmets (with triangular cheekguards?) do resemble the Arch reliefs rather. The page is titled 'Fabricae', and doesn't seem to relate too well to the Magister Officiorum. Could these be the products of an Imperial armour factory then?<br>
<br>
I am perfectly willing to concede that I might be trying to construct something out of nothing - or a selection of diverse nothings - but surely there is evidence here? What are these helmets then, and how common were they? Does anybody know? <p></p><i></i>
<br>
The 'Siege of Verona' frieze on the Arch of Constantine depicts Roman soldiers wearing an unusual pattern helmet - both Constantine's troops and those of Maxentius seem to be wearing it, and to my eye it doesn't look like anything I've seen on a 'later Roman' reconstruction. Here is the link to the frieze image (which hopefully should work this time!):<br>
<br>
sights.seindal.dk/photo/8172,s299.html<br>
<br>
It has been said that the veracity these friezes cannot be trusted, but in this case it seems to me that such a particular and unusual detail must be based on something other than the wild whim of the sculptor. These helmets reminded me of pictures I'd seen of Carolingian soldiers - I did a quick search and found this site:<br>
<br>
www.geocities.com/egfroth...khelm.html<br>
<br>
I don't know whether 'Frankhelm' is a generic name or just what the author of the page chose to call it! I also think his reconstruction doesn't much resemble the Arch frieze models - but his source illustrations are interesting - particularly the 'Rome as warrior queen' relief. Could this sort of helmet be similar to those on the Arch?<br>
<br>
Then I discovered a series of coins issued by Constantine and his Caesars, many of which showed on the reverse two standing soldiers. Virtually all of the soldiers appeared to be wearing these odd helmets! Here's one by Delmatius Caesar:<br>
<br>
www.wildwinds.com/coins/r...IC_153.jpg<br>
<br>
Lastly, there's the Notitia Dignitatum. I'd always considered the pictures of weapons and armour on some of the pages to be the inventions of the medieval copyists, but now I'm not so sure. Take a look at this one:<br>
<br>
www.ne.jp/asahi/luke/ueda...orumW.html<br>
<br>
The drawings are crude, but those bell-shaped helmets (with triangular cheekguards?) do resemble the Arch reliefs rather. The page is titled 'Fabricae', and doesn't seem to relate too well to the Magister Officiorum. Could these be the products of an Imperial armour factory then?<br>
<br>
I am perfectly willing to concede that I might be trying to construct something out of nothing - or a selection of diverse nothings - but surely there is evidence here? What are these helmets then, and how common were they? Does anybody know? <p></p><i></i>
Nathan Ross
