\'Black Sea\' helm - Cologne Museum

[Medicus matt]

Has anyone got any clearer pictures of this helmet which is on display at Cologne's Römisch-Germanisches Museum?

Cheers

[attachment=0:2iovozwl]<!-- ia0 helmet.jpg<!-- ia0 [/attachment:2iovozwl]

[Decebalus]

Hello Matt!

I've made these photos years ago:

http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad20 ... MD9771.jpg

http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad20 ... MD9772.jpg

Not much better, but different.

Greets,

Andreas Gagelmann

[Medicus matt]

Thank you Andreas.

So, it's a two part bowl then? Hmmm..

[Robert Vermaat]

Is it assigned to any period?

[Medicus matt]

Going by the bits found with it, late fifth/sixth century?

[attachment=0:12oigeho]<!-- ia0 gothic.jpg<!-- ia0 [/attachment:12oigeho]

[Robert Vermaat]

Going by the bits found with it, late fifth/sixth century?

It has a 13th c. look o it, just looking at the shape. That 'jigsaw' bit also looks odd.

[Decebalus]

The Museum-description about this helmet said that it comes from Southern-Russia, is made of four parts and decorated with silver and precious stones.
But it was not dated.
Shure, that the shield-boss etc. were found with the helmet?

There is a McBride reconstruction of a similar helmet in D. Nicolle, Attila and the Nomad hordes, pl. B2

Greets

Andreas Gagelmann

[MARCvSVIBIvSMAvRINvS]

Looks merovingian to me.

M.ViB.M.

[Astiryu1]

Are those spurs at the left on the last photo? I can't quite make much out but that jigsaw thing on the helmet is completely new to me! hock: It looks as if the helmet layers over itself too! What is that underneath the boss?

[Matthew Amt]

Neat! Yeah, roughly 5th to 6th century looks right. That's a buckle below the helmet, hinged to a square plate--very common around then (and earlier, eh?). To the left are 2 brooches, and the thing at far left may be another brooch but I'm not sure. (Can opener?)

By "jigsaw piece", do you mean the hole? Looks to me like it rusted and a hole got knocked in it. There's a little tab at the right edge of the hole that has been pushed back into it, but I don't think it actually "underlaps" the next segment. It would be neat to see more details of the browband. Huh, scabbard but no sword?

Cool stuff, thanks!

Matthew

[Robert Vermaat]

By "jigsaw piece", do you mean the hole?

I mean this:

I guess that the helmet seems to be dated by the finds displayed around it - does anyone know if they indeed belong to the find? If the helmet is undated, I suspect that they don't.

[Medicus matt]

Are those spurs at the left on the last photo? I can't quite make much out but that jigsaw thing on the helmet is completely new to me! hock: It looks as if the helmet layers over itself too! What is that underneath the boss?

They're not spurs, they're brooches. Nothing to do with the helmet.
Underneath the boss? That's a big belt buckle.

THe boss, buckle, helmet and scabbard fittings (gold and garnet mouth band and a couple of other bits) are all from the same Black Sea context.

[Alanus]

The construction appears as modified spangen. Instead of using bands, the maker simply overlapped the bowl pieces. The "jigsaw" might be from the blow of a weapon. Notice no rivets. It was welded. hock:
My guess-- judging from the oval jewels and their size-- would be Gothic, Alanic, Hunnic, or even Avar, all of whom fashioned within the Black Sea style.