Roman Helmets

THE ROMAN HELMETS

                The Roman helmets, together with the shield, constitute the most essential part of the soldier's armament. Large numbers of them were produced and they underwent multiple variations over time, retaining their essential function of protecting the combatant's head and face. Many classifications of the different helmets have been made. Next, we show one of them.

                - Montefortino : the Roman helmet, which is identified as the oldest, and with more years of service. 3rd century BC Originated with the Celts and was in service until the 1st century AD. C. It was made of bronze, but some iron can be found. Conical or rounded. This helmet is very similar to the Coolus .

The Montefortino was commonly made of bronze, but occasionally made of iron as well. It is characterized by its conical or rounded shape and a raised central pommel at the top. They had a neck protector and cheek pads.

                - Coolus , Caesar's helmet- 1st century AD Also of Celtic origin, closely resembles the Montefortino and was mass-produced. It entered service during the 3rd century BC. It was used mainly in the Gallic wars, it was made of bronze or brass, and some have also been found in iron. Hemispherical in shape, they had a neck protector.

                - Agen , the first Roman helmet. 1st century BC Celtic-influenced worn between 100 BC and 100 AD They were made of iron and closely resemble the Coolus style helmet . Only a handful of Agen -style Roman helmets are known to have survived to our era. Shaped like a deep rounded bowl it had cheek guards. At the front of the bowl we can see a pair of eyebrows in relief that become common in later helmets.

                - Port: The “Second” Roman Helmet. 1st century BC With Celtic influences, it has characteristics of the Agen and Coolus helmets . Del Coolus imitates its appearance, although with a more Roman aspect, and del Agen its iron structure. Only a few Puerto helmets have survived our. The Puerto style is very similar to the Agen style . Its characteristics will significantly influence later helmets. The Port has two projections in relief on the back, being able to appreciate a shorter wing and a never longer protector.

                -Imperial Gallic: the iconic Roman helmet. 1st century AD With the conquest of Gaul by the Romans, the use of the iron helmet became widespread. The Gallic Imperial was in service until the 3rd century AD and was a hybrid between the Agen and the Port. This helmet takes from the Agen the semicircular relief on its neck protector. From the Puerto style the eyebrows in relief on the front part of the helmet. Of totally Roman design is the peal, which can be seen in the front part of the Gallic Empire helmet.

                - Imperial Italics: The anachronistic. It appears during the late Republic and was in service until the 3rd century BC. Its name comes from the Italian influences in its design. Manufactured in Italian factories to which Greco-Etruscan elements are added. It is usually seen in centurions and the Praetorian Guard. The Imperial Italic helmet is very similar to the Imperial Gallic helmet. The lack of eyebrows and the fact that they are made of bronze suggest that these helmets were ceremonial and not usable in combat.

                - Intercise-Simple Type Trestle: The “Oriental” It dates from the 4th century to the beginning of the 5th century. It represents a very important change in the design of helmets, abandoning its Celtic influence and adopting the Sassanid Persian influence. These Roman helmets we designate today as crest-type helmets. The Intercisa type is a bipartite bowl combining two half skulls, joined by a ridge piece. The most famous example of this type features a large iron crest running from front to back.

                -Berkasovo type -Heavy Ridge: the most protective Roman helmet. From the beginning of the 4th century. Increasingly with oriental influences to the detriment of the Celtic ones. These helmets are stronger than the Roman helmet of the Intercisa type, which leads us to think that they were assigned to cavalry and high-ranking officers to cavalry helmets or for higher-ranking officers. The Berkasovo or Heavy Ridge has a bowl in two halves united by a band. Later, these were united by a band. We can also distinguish a bar to protect the nose. Being made of iron lined with silver, few of these have survived, as they were taken apart for the precious metal.

                - Spangenhelm : the ribbed Roman helmet. Used during Trajan's conquest of Dacia (101-102 and 105-106 AD) and during the reign of Hadrian (117-138 AD). It was used by the Scythians and the Sarmatians, at the same time that the Romans began to use the Sarmatian cataphracts. This hull shares use with the Intercisa and Berkasovo type . The Spangenhelm influenced all helmets from the 6th and 8th centuries. The bowl of the Spangenhelm helmet is generally made of 4/6 riveted plates topped by a circular disc. It also had a nose and neck protector.