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

[Ghostmojo]

''Is it not natural to make something like that out of wood? Why make it more complex?''

Hm. Quite modern way of thinking. If they had that logics we would have so little ancient material to admire today. Why decorate one whole part of the wall with bronze emboss when paint is much more natural and easier way? If we didn't find bronze sheets we would certainly conclude they didn't use it,it is just not common sense to conclude it..yes. And we would be wrong!

It is not just a modern way of thinking at all. It is based upon practical and economic considerations. You need to distinguish perhaps between the necessary (i.e. essential) and the luxury (non-essential) elements of gear.

Think about it. Shields were essentially wooden with a brazen (or other) facing material. The metal finish was there to provide a slightly more impenetrable surface than the wood would itself - but the latter (being the bulk of the construction) was taking the full impact of any blow. The metal was also there because it could be polished and look very impressive; gleaming as it would. A solid metal shield would have been impossible to hold for very long and these nonsensical images we see from films like '300' (and even the 1962 The 300 Spartans) where the warriors have metal bin-lids as shields are of course totally absurd, and I don't believe anybody would subscribe to such an article - even though when it comes to shields we have found; it is only the metal facing that has survived the ages. The choice of other facing materials such as leather etc. might have been for economic reasons or because it was quite effective itself (many opponents of Greek hoplites only had light constructed shields of leather on basketwork) as a finish over the wood substrate. But in any event - basically a hoplite shield was wooden - sometimes coated in bronze etc.

Bronze was used for ceremonial reasons as well. The Spartans worshipped Athena Khalkioikos and her (6thC) temple was clad in part with decorative brazen (bronzed) panels. It was known as The Brazen House. This somewhat belies the myth that the Spartans shunned artistic endeavour in their pursuit of the ascetic lifestyle. However, even after the average Spartan had become devoted solely to war, they still had periokoi artisans to do the work required of such craftsmen. These non-Spartiate Lakonians would have been the fabricators of Spartan army shields (and other equipment) to order.

It is of course possible that crest holders might have been made of bronze, and for various reasons some possibly were, but it would seem unlikely that it was standard practice. Additional metal would add somewhat to the weight of a helmet (not a lot - but still perhaps noticeable) and why bother? These things appear to have been painted and decorated so the bronze would be pointless. It is possible a hollow bronze holder might be constructed and the horsehair bunched and glued into place of course - but it seems rather pointless bearing in mind all of the other considerations.

Regards