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Looking for advice on 3rd-2nd century BC helmets
#1
Salvete omnes

I’m looking for advice on helmets for a 3rd through 2nd century BC legionary. I’ve seen the Montefortino type in almost every picture of a republican reenactor I can remember and Romancoins.info insists that a Montefortino B is appropriate for anything after 300 BC. But I’m also interested in an this Attic helmet which I will admit is mostly because I think it looks cool, imperium ancient armory tells me that this is appropriate for the 4th through 2nd century BC and that the helmet is a historically accurate one (though I’m not really sure how credible they are as a source). Obviously all reenactment groups don’t keep the same standards but is there anything that would stand out as blatantly wrong in using this attic helmet either for a 2nd punic wars triarius or a Marian legionary?
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#2
Italian Samno-Attic helmets, while not being associated with Roman panoply, date, the last ones, to the 4th c BC. So i wouldn't say they are appropriate for a 3rd and 2nd c BC depiction. If you want to go for a different helmet than a Montefortino, what could you choose? Based in acheological finds, Apulo-Corinthians, that have extensively been used as the helmet of the triarii (who knows why) date to the 4th c BC, so they could be a relic in a Second Punic War scenario (but recently there have been some "rumors" that some have been found in a shipwreck dating to the First punic War... time will tell). If you are portraying an officer, you could maybe choose a hellenistic attic helmet.
Eduardo Vázquez
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#3
The helmets used in the period were varied. The attic style was generally used by higher ranking soldiers and Hellenic patterns were popular among the cavalry as well as officers. The Apulo Corinthian helmet was used by just about any soldier, not just the Triarii, who are usually depicted wearing it. The Apulo Corinthian helmet was inspired by the wearing of the Corinthian helmet propped up on the forehead, such as in many statues. The Italian warriors of the various tribes saw the wearing of the helmets up on the brows and wanted to equate themselves with the Heroes and Gods in the tales that the Greeks in southern Italy brought when they traded with the tribes. Naturally, the Romans, who were among these Italian nations, adopted the helmet and some were in use all the way up to the first century A.D. I have one sold by Kult of Athena and I am going to use it for my Socii Extraordinarii impression for the 3rd century B.C.

The Montefortino helmet was another popular style. Used by line troops extensively for hundreds of years, it took many modifications. This helmet was very common among line troops and almost any of the styles ( except the Celtic ones ) are usable for the reenactment of the mid Roman Republic.
Regards, Jason
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