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Indeed, that is one of the most impressive Sassanian era headgears.
Sometimes they remember (much) later Japanese Samurai helmets.
Gäiten
a.k.a.: Andreas R.
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In Montvert`s "Sassanian Armies" Hormizd II is displayed wearing winged helmet of that design.
Gäiten
a.k.a.: Andreas R.
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Thanks Andreas,
do you have any link to images displaying this kind of helmet?
Daniel
Daniel De Palo
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Is very impressive, some sassanian hemets were adopted by roman late cavalry and were influence for some very inpressive Vendel and Välsgarde Helemtes on Sweden (Vendel age V to VIIIa.C.) different construction technic but æstetic very similar
Järnvarg - José L. Díaz - Archaeologist[color=#0000FF]
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Hope you don't mind if I chime in here (a year after the last post) but I've been thinking on these helmets recently.
David Nicolle has a depiction of a similar helmet in "Arms and Armour of the Crusading Era" (volume 2) (which I recently got a copy of, hence my renewed interest in these helmets!). They are described as cheek flaps folded upwards or a decorative crest.
I think it could definitely be either. On Sogdian helmets, it seems that the cheek plates are constructed of overlapping B-shaped lames, and you see horizontal lines. The vertical lines on the Kulagysh plate could represent the leather straps holding these B-shaped lames in position. Although - all credit to Patryk - I really can't see why the cheek plates would be raised.
Gokturk warriors wore two feathers on their helmets once they were skilled in shooting both backwards and forwards (not at the same time!). These projections could also be feathers. I reckon the Kulagush warriors are Turks, not Iranians, as the long lamellar coat comprising of B-shaped lamellae appears to only appear after the Turks arrive and B-shaped lamellae were found at Turkic sites in Kerch and Kuszenmanton.
I haven't had the chance to examine as much iconography as Patryk (Roxofarnes) has so his conclusions may be more valid.