Late Roman helmets, Byzantine

[Black Widow61]

Can someone help me? I'm in the SCA, and my persona is in the Byzantine Empire, or Roman Empire of the East. I've read that some of the helmets used were the late Roman Army helmets 'Ridge", but I'm stuck in trying to find a picture of what this helmet looks like.

So can anyone point me to the correct direction?

Thanks,
Cam

[Flavivs Aetivs]

This would be an accurate depiction of a 4th or 5th century Western or Eastern Roman Soldier (although this particular unit is from Britain.)

However, beyond the 5th century these helmets would not be historically accurate.

[attachment=6517]5thCenturyInfantryman.jpg[/attachment]

[Virilis]

Some comments on the picture above. The Deir-El-Medineh helmet would be suitable for a late 3th- early 4th c. AD context (I share Simon James`s view that these type helmets were depicted on the arch of Galerius). The Köln / Cologne spatha handle would be suitable for early 4th c. AD context. The spatha the soldier is wearing is from the 3th c. AD (the handle construction according to Christian Miks and the baldrick). The sword blades (diamond cross section) are wrong, the manufacture of these type blades ceased in the 2th c. AD. Also the lowest spatha handle in the group of three belongs clearly to the 3th c. AD.

If I remember correctly, there are no examples of Intercisa-style helmets being made from iron alone. All the examples found might have had a guilded silver sheathing originally. The soldier in the picture is wearing a Burgh Castle- type helmet which might have had a similar sheathing originally? Only examples of plain iron ridge helmets with nose guards are the Deir-El-Medineh helmet and the so-called Christie`s helmet.

Also the lamellars in the soldier`s cuirass seem to be quite big...

[AMELIANVS]

Hello Cam.
Try to be a little more specific-Byzantine times are quite long era(simplified 300-1500A.D.).Do you have some concrete century or centuries on mind?

[M. Val. Naso]

Virilis: the aforementioned and shown cross-section did not disappear. We have numerous finds in the Miks book, for example a late 4th century from modern-day Hungary. I have a replica coming up for Marle.

There were a lot of helmets probably made from only iron. AFAIK the fabricas produced 60% of the helmets with a silver layer. That means 40% with no silver.

From the handles, maybe the top right is suited for a 5th century impression. Also, the lamellars would be alright for maybe a 6th century soldier.

[Flavivs Aetivs]

It's not my picture, and I couldn't find the one with all the different helmets from the 3rd and 4th centuries I had.

[Virilis]

It's not my picture, and I couldn't find the one with all the different helmets from the 3rd and 4th centuries I had.

Yes, I know, I have the book ...

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Hmmm, I wonder what kind of helmets they wore in that period!

http://www.google.com/search?q=ridge+hel...80&bih=931

[Flavivs Aetivs]

Intercisa Helmet

Berkasovo Helmet

[Nathan Ross]

Beyond the 5th century the ridge helmet would be out of date. Perhaps a banded helmet, like the Leiden example, would be better? As discussed in this recent thread:

Sixth Century Army

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Yet we see ridge helmets in use in cultures which were concurrent . Sutton Hoo? What period is
it from? The end of the Saxon period?

[Flavivs Aetivs]

This 8th Century Depiction of the Frisian Kingdom (not the Frisii, these were saxons) shows a banded or ridge helmet.

[attachment=6524]8thCenturyAttackonSt.Boniface.jpg[/attachment]

[Nathan Ross]

Yet we see ridge helmets in use in cultures which were concurrent . Sutton Hoo? What period is
it from? The end of the Saxon period?

7th (?) century I think. Sutton Hoo is interesting, and looks to me to have strong Roman influences, but it's not so easy to trace the development. I think I read somewhere that it's not actually a ridge helmet either... There could be all sorts of other influences (Vendel? Persian?) going on with it too. Either way, it wasn't worn by a Roman and nothing (I think) like it has turned up in a contemporary Roman context, so...

Thread about it here:

Sutton Hoo

[AMELIANVS]

This 8th Century Depiction of the Frisian Kingdom (not the Frisii, these were saxons) shows a banded or ridge helmet.

[attachment=6524]8thCenturyAttackonSt.Boniface.jpg[/attachment]

Probably similar kind of helmets as depicted here were found in Prague-Stromovka(dated 7th century)and Gnězdovo(dated 9th century).Their basic construction is at least similar to late antique ridge helmets for what they are sometimes considered to be late roman helmets derivates.Some good photos you could see here:
http://www.livinghistory.cz/node/138

There are also interesting illuminated manuscripts from 6/7 centuries split.So-called Syriac Bible shows what always seemed to me(But I dont claim that it realy is)stylized form of intercisa type of ridge helmet:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Syriac...haraoh.jpg

The other I know of is Tours/Ashburnham pentateuch,although it's illustrations are maybe copies of possible 4th century original:
http://warfare.uphero.com/Ancient/Ashbur...detail.jpg

Personally I believe that some form of direct/indirect continuation of ridge style helmets continue to the early middle ages.

sorry for those links but I'm unable to put here any pictures directly.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

I've never seen that image before! (Tours/Ashburnham )
Interesting helmet and crest images.
I wonder if the use of iron/silver vs bronze is to depict different sides in a civil war scenario?