A familiar (late roman) helmet from a different angle...

[Virilis]

Look at this, the same old helmet but, oh my, how good it looks from a new angle :wink:

http://picasaweb.google.com/sudika/Impe ... 3495403378

LOTR gear is peanuts compared to this, just add the crest and voilà :wink: ! (if this is really the famous Budapest helmet with the buckles attached to the bowl) Furthermore, it seems that they have also restored the missing nasal guard; the decoration of which is mildly put interesting!

[Robert Vermaat]

Nice one Jyrki.

[Tarbicus]

Oh look - eyeballs and pupils staring straight at ya.

[Robert Vermaat]

Only if you're cross-eyed. hock:

[PMBardunias]

Where and when does the fashion for inserting such garish, large stones on the helmet emerge? Does it start with romans or with other peoples?

[Virilis]

Where and when does the fashion for inserting such garish, large stones on the helmet emerge? Does it start with romans or with other peoples?

Yes, I have wondered about this too! It certainly "feels" oriental in origin with it`s lavishness of overall decorativeness but then again weren`t hunnic & gothic gear decorated with glass patterns inserted in golden artifacts?

[Tarbicus]

Where and when does the fashion for inserting such garish, large stones on the helmet emerge? Does it start with romans or with other peoples?

Eyes haven't always been stones, and go way back, including earlier Roman Italic and Gallic helmets with eyes (embossed and rivets). Insetting stones is probably just a later fashion.

[PMBardunias]

Eyes haven't always been stones, and go way back, including earlier Roman Italic and Gallic helmets with eyes (embossed and rivets). Insetting stones is probably just a later fashion.

Thanks Jim, its actually the putting of stones on, raw chunky stones, that interests me. I know we see this on other artifacts, chalices and such, but I don't know where it comes from.

Now the origin of the eyes themselves is another interesting topic, but the symbol is so ancient and ubiquitous in the mediterranean world that I doubt the answer is an easy one. One thought off the top of my head though is that the Apulo-corinthians have eyes on the brow due to the imitation of a tilted corinthian. Do eyes on italic or gallic helms predate these?

[Tarbicus]

I think Italian helmets with eyes are concurrent with corinthians. I'll have to decipher Antik Helme to find out.

[Peroni]

These are inset eyes in earlier helmets

[PMBardunias]

They look like they are in imitation of a corinthian- the wreath, the brow, etc. What is the date?