The Crosby Garrett helmet

[Peroni]

Looking at the pictures on the remaining link with it in parts, you ca nsee the restoration of the chin area, looks like there wasa massive hole in the chin.

Oh! Yes!

[Caballo]

Thanks for finding that pic- exactly the one I meant! Originally it was captioned as just after finding the helmet, which looks right.

Quite substantial restoration to the chin happened long before the official PAS pics were taken ...and then more restoration happened to the skull piece. Was the chin restoration done at Christies or was it already done when it arrived there?

[Crispvs]

I remain highly suspicious of this whole affair. The fact that restoration had already been begun by the time it was shown to the Portable Antiquities Scheme should itself have set alarm bells ringing which could have led to more pertinent questions being asked and a possible investigation taking place. I have to wonder why this did not happen.

Crispvs

[PhilusEstilius]

In my opinion the whole situation of the Crosby Garrett Helmet is very much a questionable subject with all of it's reconstruction phases. Will we ever know how it looked when it came out of the ground, or for that matter just where in the world did it realy come out of the ground.

[Caballo]

Yes- and sadly very few clues from the picture above. The hands are clean and highly manicured, with a "French manicure". Just what you'd expect from a Cumbrian metal detectorist....

[Adam Oswalt]

For those interested, there's a decent one-page article on the Crosby-Garrett helmet in the January/February issue of Archaeology. It's pretty short, but offers some discussion of the issue. Anyways, thought this might interest some of you who were following this.

Adam

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Thanks, I thought I had already mentioned it! :roll:
It is a good article the one thing I recall is the silvering on the face-mask/visor is a tin alloy.

Edit: Actually it was an article in the British Archaeology magazine I saw, with a few pages and some excellent photos too!

[Caballo]

Heres the front cover.


Ermm... Its actually several pages with some very useful new (to me) pictures) including a large one of the facemask pre restoration, and an interview with the restorer, Darren Bradbury.
"All you wanted to know about that helmet (almost)
We can't tell you who bought the Crosby Garrett Roman helmet, but our feature contains much new information about this iconic object that sold for £2m in October, with previously unpublished photos. Archaeologists who studied the helmet during its restoration write about what they saw, and Darren Bradbury explains his extraordinary restoration work. Described for the first time are an analysis of the metals, a simple workshop mark on the helmet, details of the hinge that connected the face to the back and an ancient repair. While the face was found nearly intact in the ground, the back had been broken and folded up. Also described are details of attempts to persuade the helmet's original owners to sell it directly to Tullie House Museum in Cumbria – attempts which, of course, failed – and archaeologists' plans for the future." This includes a possible 2011 exhibition together with other Roman masked helmets. I'd have thought this would take longer than 2011 to organise though, but well worth waiting for?

And if you still need a Crosby Garrett fix, there is always more here.....
http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2010/1 ... about.html
http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2010/1 ... ponds.html

[Forty-One]

It is believed that Romans wore the helmets as a mark of rank or excellence in horsemanship.

Or perhaps even in the Hippika Gymnasia?! Oh boy... :roll:
Mike Bishop

Well, they're at least half right, which is pretty good going for any news media nowadays. Arrian in 34,2 of "The Art of Tactics", you'll recall, explicitly says that they were worn by men who "stood out because of rank or because of exceptional horsemanship...in order to better attract the spectators attention to them". Apparently not everyone got to wear a masked helmet at a Roman tournament (or not, at least, in Cappadocia in the mid second century).