The Corinthian Helmet in the Mediterranean Museum, Stockholm

[Susanne]

It's very fragmentary; most of the back part, including the neckguard, is missing. The helmet has no decoration, but on the inside of the noseguard there are, allegedly, two letters.

[Susanne]

[Susanne]

And the last one... enjoy!

[Anonymous]

Very nice, Susanne. That huge nasal reminds me of the Mycenaean (?) vase painting in which all the warriors have ridiculously long noses and pursed lips. Can't find it just now.

[Jason Hoffman]

This style of corinthian is typically refered to as Myros corinthian, named after a helmet that wa found with this name inscribed on it. The period of use was between the the late 7th to the late sixth century BC was then replaced by the classic corinthian (the one with ear holes) around the second half of the sixth century BC.

[Anonymous]

The illustration I had in mind is known as the Mycenaean Warrior Vase (c.1150). I've seen it in various sources, including Everson's "Warfare in Ancient Greece". The noses are really long and would be well-suited to a helmet with a whopping nasal as in the pictures Susanne showed. I realized that helmet is too late for Mycenae. Presumably, the later Greeks, although often supposed to be of different tribes, nonetheless still had the same noses!

[Susanne]

You mean, this one?

[Susanne]

And yes, their noses are huuuuuge!

[Anonymous]

That's the one, the vase awarded to the champions of the Hoplite league - the Nose Bowl!

[Susanne]

Can you believe for a minute that the vessel once was dated to 8th century BCE? hock:

[Anonymous]

Well, now, isn't that interesting?

[Dan Howard]

Can you believe for a minute that the vessel once was dated to 8th century BCE?

It is very believable. 8th century is likely to be closer than the date currently assigned to it. Read "Centuries of Darkness" by James et al. Here is James' website
http://www.centuries.co.uk/
He argues very convincingly that the current chronology is wrong. Whether his new chronology is accurate still remains to be seen. I would put money on the fact that James' chronology is closer than the one we are currently using and that the Warrior Vase dates to around the late 10th century rather than the 12th.

[Susanne]

Thanks, Dan.

I will take a gander at it next time I go to my campus.

What exactly do they say regarding the vase?

[Dan Howard]

I don't think he mentions the vase specifically but the period to which it has been dated has been revised down by two or three centuries.

[Susanne]

Just finished reading the JHS review. Although I'm not much of a Bronze Age kind of person I'll check it out someday (and maybe discuss it with this one guest lecturer who will be holding a talk about Bronze Age Cyprus, in a fortnight).

I like your Mycenaean armour impression, by the way.