Constructing a correct J-Crest

[Kineas]

The last issue of Hesperia has an amazing set of info on the construction of a crest from a Crete helmet of about 500 BCE. The crest was found int he current excavations on Crete. it had elements of horsehair and of some thread, probably linen. After the article was published, the lead author, Prof Hagist, was kind enough to share some other photos with me. I cannot reproduce them, so I'll have to ask your trust.

I chose NOT to build the crest at Crete,as it was integral to the helmet and not what I was putting on mine. But the clues it offered allowed me, I think, to have a go at somehtign that has puzzled a lot of us for a long time.

How was the crest constructed?

There is some evidence for wooden crest boxes-- (or perhaps wooden crests!) but most of them seem to have been horsehair, and the evidence is pretty unambiguous--they were removable and SOFT. that is, they were NOT made by glueing hair bundles into drilled wooden holes.

Three years ago, I was looking ata horsehair roach in the Smithsonian, worn by a Lakota Sioux warrior. And I saw it.

Well, I saw most of it. But I still couldn't see how we got the multiple levels of colour and the top layer of "checkerboard" shown in so much vase art. But the Cretan crest had all the solutions. I turned it into a J crest. All my repousse is from armour at Olympia...the rest I'll tell in pictures.

[Kineas]

Each bundle is wrapped in linen thread, then sewn through the central J-crest holder like this.

[Kineas]

Side plates attached by silver rivets. Originals were probably a single sheet that covered both sides--I didn't know that a month ago!



In place and solid, but waiting for the important step..

[Kineas]

Two colours of linen thread woven in and out of the bundles to stiffen the hair and add decoration.

[Kineas]

I got better as I went (we all do, don't we) and the next will execute more cleanly I wonder now if I shouldn't have made a thicker cord by tripling the thread. And I learned a weave that was stronger. And I need to cut more horsehair--it's too long.

But that said--it would be soft if removed.

A last point--after looking at some Illyrians, I suspect that the crest was actually made of the whole mane of a horse, skin on. The weaving pattern shown above was used to stiffen the crest and decorate it, but the "leather" of the hide would keep the hairs together and made a soft, bendable crest with the thread work as support. its a theory--but the hair at Crete was in wrapped bundles... so...

Hope you like it.

[Peter Raftos]

Better than excellent research and experimental archeology.

[Ghostmojo]

Very nice pictures.

I'm no expert on this but clearly the horsehair crest was worn on helmets in imitation of a horse's mane.

I wonder if this started off originally as a practice purely amongst cavalry troops and later spread to infantry? You could imagine mounted warriors wishing to emulate the prowess of the creatures bearing them.

This identification with animals of course extends to the use of fox and lion heads (either real or metal fabricated) on soldiers - particularly amongst the Romans; and to the wearing of animal pelts.

It seems to have been a very basic warrior instinct to connect with powerful fast and violent creatures. This can be seen in African tribesmen even today and on Roman and Napoleonic standards - apexed as they were with eagles.