Roman helmets: Imperial Gallic/Italic and Ridge - comparisons and sources

[Dan Howard]

Although generally cheaper and quicker to make... probably infinitely more common... confirming that these new helmets were cheaper, quicker to make, and not of the quality of earlier types.

We have no evidence for how much it cost, or how long it took, to make any type of Roman helmet, or how commonly they were used.

So, while I like and respect Adrian Goldsworthy's work (and considering that he is not an expert on the later army!) his opinions about what was 'generally' or 'probably' the case cannot be taken as confirmation of what is essentially a popular sterotype, and I would still refer you to my points above.

Agreed. Goldsworthy's comments in this regard are unsubstantiated nonsense.