09-02-2006, 03:10 PM
This is purely speculative and just bouncing an idea off everyone, and as I'm not writing a thesis or proposing a learned paper on the subject it should be taken in the spirit of what I say.
Heiko got confirmation this week from the Krefeld museum that the Krefeld-Gelduba helm (similar to an Italic D) we have been researching and trying to figure out had raised eye outlines and sunken eyebrows. The full story is here:
link from old RAT
What I notice is that later helmets, particularly the Intercisas, also share similar decorative traits, but not the applied brass decoration on top of the eyes. They do, however, have sunken decoration. Eyes on helmets have been discussed before, especially in relation to the later Roman types as seen here at Archeon:
[url:mzxlxj0v]http://www.fectio.org.uk/shows/2005archeon19.jpg[/url]
Also seen on much earlier helms from antiquity are painted decoration and eyebrows as reconstructed here:
[url:mzxlxj0v]http://erste-legion.de/forum/userpix/12_dsc00096_1.jpg[/url]
As a joke I decided to modify an existing picture of mine:
[url:mzxlxj0v]http://hometown.aol.co.uk/Tarbicus/painted_weisenau.jpg[/url]
The thing is that the painted Intercisa, which I believe is copied from the Notitia Dignitatum, and the earlier painted helmets lead me to wonder why would this disappear in the interim period?
There is much evidence for Roman armour being painted although this is usually restricted to musculata, seemingly. However, the shoulder doublings from the Ahenobarbus Relief suggest decoration on more ordinary armour. But, given the decoration that was often applied to pretty much anything they could do it to in the form of brass, gilt, silvering, tinning, niello and enamel, why not put some paint on your helmet to enhance it? Why not eyes and other motifs on them, and even on the armour. Such motifs did serve a practical purpose in the eyes of an ancient as supernatural protection, and I am now coming to some kind of opinion that it would actually be unusual not to. We also see bona fide decoration on the inside of reconstructed scuta, so why not the other bits?
Thanks for listening, I hope you weren't too bored :?
Heiko got confirmation this week from the Krefeld museum that the Krefeld-Gelduba helm (similar to an Italic D) we have been researching and trying to figure out had raised eye outlines and sunken eyebrows. The full story is here:
link from old RAT
What I notice is that later helmets, particularly the Intercisas, also share similar decorative traits, but not the applied brass decoration on top of the eyes. They do, however, have sunken decoration. Eyes on helmets have been discussed before, especially in relation to the later Roman types as seen here at Archeon:
[url:mzxlxj0v]http://www.fectio.org.uk/shows/2005archeon19.jpg[/url]
Also seen on much earlier helms from antiquity are painted decoration and eyebrows as reconstructed here:
[url:mzxlxj0v]http://erste-legion.de/forum/userpix/12_dsc00096_1.jpg[/url]
As a joke I decided to modify an existing picture of mine:
[url:mzxlxj0v]http://hometown.aol.co.uk/Tarbicus/painted_weisenau.jpg[/url]
The thing is that the painted Intercisa, which I believe is copied from the Notitia Dignitatum, and the earlier painted helmets lead me to wonder why would this disappear in the interim period?
There is much evidence for Roman armour being painted although this is usually restricted to musculata, seemingly. However, the shoulder doublings from the Ahenobarbus Relief suggest decoration on more ordinary armour. But, given the decoration that was often applied to pretty much anything they could do it to in the form of brass, gilt, silvering, tinning, niello and enamel, why not put some paint on your helmet to enhance it? Why not eyes and other motifs on them, and even on the armour. Such motifs did serve a practical purpose in the eyes of an ancient as supernatural protection, and I am now coming to some kind of opinion that it would actually be unusual not to. We also see bona fide decoration on the inside of reconstructed scuta, so why not the other bits?
Thanks for listening, I hope you weren't too bored :?
TARBICvS/Jim Bowers
A A A DESEDO DESEDO!
A A A DESEDO DESEDO!
