Greek Helmets. with or without crests.... ??

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

Absolutely correct. While wood is the most likely and probably commonest material it's important to remember that individual taste is always a factor. No across the board standard in any item can be used as construction varies from region, chronology.

Pitch! Yes! I make it if anyone is intersted in buying a chunk. It's tacky like molasses when heated. Then it hardens and glues stuff together surprisingly well. While modern glues may have better adhesion overall, pitch is hard to beat for welding wood and metal together. It has a little flex in it unlike modern glue. If you used it to affix a crest, and that crest needed to be removed, simply heat the helmet and the pitch loosens. I used it for spearheads and sarouters and it is really unmovable. I was not able to budge the spearhead at all even with pliers. I heated the spearhead with a torch and it loosened and came right off. It's windeed up stuff.

It's a mess to make but I have a pot of it made if anyone is interested.

Interesting, Kyros! but aren't the forces that a crest has to undertake very different than those on a spearhead? The percentage of the glued surface on a crest is much lower than on a spear head, and a sideways force wouldn't disattach it very easily? Have you made any experiments with a plank of wood on a metal sheet?

What about the remnants of pitch or rather, the different oxidisation on the helmet? Why couldn't the oxidisation be made from the presence of leather under the crest? Leather liners also left a different colour on the edges of helmets... Is there a specific studdy?

Khaire
Giannis