Intercisa helmets - photos

[Flavivs Aetivs]

Yes, I know. I'm saying they could have just as easily had feather or horsehair crests too. We see them all the time in Late Roman Art, some of which we know are directly influenced by actual Roman military.

You are right in that the crest slots were used for metal crests, but in cases where the helmet has said slots, and no metal crest survives, it would be logical to infer it was made of a material that could not have survived under the circumstances it was found in. E.g. Wood, horsehair, feather, etc