Venlo helmet fragment

[Robert Vermaat]

Looking at this and the similar Sisak fragment, is it possible (or even more probable) that this was part of a helmet nasal decoration (on the lines of the Heteny helmet) rather than a crest decoration? The Sisak one was described as having guttering which seems to me to be more likely to be a nasal rather than a crest decoration.

The four Siscia and other fragments of so-called 'Christograms' could of course be decorations on a nasal as well as on a crest. As to the Venlo Christogram, the rivet on the back makes it improbable as a nasal decoration - you'd first need to raise a ridge on the nasal before riveting the decoration to it in the way it was done. A simple rivet through both (like in fig. 6) would seem logical for a nasal.