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Niedermörmter helmet reconstruction
#1
My interpretation of the ex-Guttmann Niedermörmter helmet, finished a few months ago:

The cheek pieces are missing from the only two helmets of this particular form, so I have conflated a conjectural pair from aspects of other finds that were suitable in one regard but not in their entirety.
[Image: 33975514212_984a2cf88a.jpg]

Another incomplete aspect of the original helmet is hinted at by a copper-alloy flange mounted just under the nape, which is pierced with three vertical slots. The slots are well suited for articulating additional plates to, and helmet types like the Niederbieber indicate that expectations for neck coverage were changing in that direction. I added two additional lames with articulation slots the same as on the original flange, and found that the neck guard worked very well - it completely covered the back of the neck without impeding movement.
[Image: 33321655293_01bf48f929.jpg]

The rest of the original helmet is complete. A few interesting aspects of this helmet's construction are the pierced brow guard, lathe-spun apical cap with captive ring, handle with acorn terminals, mouse-and loaf motif, broad edge bindings and meters of fiddly pearl trim.
[Image: 33321653123_e31b2de7c8.jpg]
[Image: 34132953335_38011671ab.jpg]
[Image: 33321650223_a24cb7bf5f.jpg]
Thanks for looking. If you are interested, there are more photos for viewing on the Royal Oak Armoury FB and Flickr pages.
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#2
Beautiful!
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#3
A magnificent reproduction!
Nathan Ross
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#4
A beautiful piece of work - quite stunning!
Francis Hagan

The Barcarii
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#5
I agree. Beautiful work. Lauds to you.

The detail of the flange under the neck guard of the Guttmann helmet is most interesting and I confess to not having noticed it either in the Christies catalogue or Junkelmann's book. I think the interpretation of it as an attachment point for extra lames is a very good one and like you say, deeper occipits and lower neck guards are a normal feature of helmets which are close to contemporary with it. My only reservation is regarding the weight, as the large neck guard of such a helmet makes it very heavy at the back already.

Interestingly, I saw a reconstruction of the Niedermoermter helmet a few years ago which had been fitted with the longer cheek guards with ears, like those seen on the so called cavalry 'D' and 'E', types, and they seemed to work perfectly with it and made it look incredibly similar to those helmet types.

Crispvs
Who is called \'\'Paul\'\' by no-one other than his wife, parents and brothers.  :!: <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_exclaim.gif" alt=":!:" title="Exclamation" />:!:

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.romanarmy.net">www.romanarmy.net
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#6
Yeah I could see it with Niederbieber cheekpieces. That would be a cool reconstruction.
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#7
Jeffrey and I discussed the reproduction helmet with the Niederbieber cheekpieces mentioned above with a thought of adding similar cheekpieces. In fact that's what I ordered at first. Yup Evan, that's a very cool looking helmet.

Unless there is a third custom version of this helmet out there - this is it.

[Image: 35520730696_493c295be0_n.jpg]

After much research Jeff made a strong argument in favor of the cheek pieces you see now. I'll let him make that argument when he has time. What I like about working with Jeffrey is that if I chose to get the Niederbieber cheekpieces he would have made it just as good. I listened to his reasoning and it made more sense than simply looking cool so as I wanted to have what is most likely the original style of cheekpieces for this helmet, perhaps the last version of its type, I asked him to add what you see. Now, as we all know cheekpieces were replaced and Roman helmets were sometimes retrofitted with the latest ideas of head protection, so I may in the future ask him make me a set of cheekpieces more similar to the Niederbieber than the traditional Weisenau types.

Here's a Niederbieber with a cheekpiece more like mine that we used as a guide.

[Image: 35429705631_72699b61cb.jpg]

I'm not saying we are 100% certain and everyone else is wrong, only that for us it made sense and there is room for alternate views on the subject.

Here's the helmet making it's debut at the Penn Museum of Archaeology.

[Image: 35392183972_79abfb11fb.jpg]

And unless a person acts like an idiot, generally anyone can try it on for size.

[Image: 35392184202_966b7e66bd.jpg]

Some wore it for quite a while.

[Image: 35392184272_77b0947ff8.jpg]

I'd say about 200 heads have tried it on so far as I received it late in the school year and yes, some thought it a bit heavy.
Joe Balmos
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#8
Indeed beautiful!
Robert Vermaat
MODERATOR
FECTIO Late Romans
THE CAUSE OF WAR MUST BE JUST
(Maurikios-Strategikon, book VIII.2: Maxim 12)
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#9
Well, it is a helmet! Don't worry, it can take a beating. Tongue

I hope they have a guard watching all your stuff Joe, lol.
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#10
"Unless there is a third custom version of this helmet out there - this is it."

The one I saw was a reconstruction of the Niedermoemter helmet. The wonderfully good reconstruction featuring in this thread is a reconstruction of the Guttmann 'Mouse and Loaf' helmet, rather than the Niedermoemter helmet, which was copper-alloy.

"Here's a Niederbieber with a cheekpiece more like mine that we used as a guide."

If I remember rightly (I don't have my copy to hand right now), Robinson noted that the cheek guards on that helmet were of the normal type for that style of helmet but had been modified by cutting away the ears at some stage. To my eyes, it looks as though they have been cropped shorter as well, judging by the sharp corner visible in the picture, give the strong impression of the cheek guard having been truncated.

Crispvs
Who is called \'\'Paul\'\' by no-one other than his wife, parents and brothers.  :!: <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_exclaim.gif" alt=":!:" title="Exclamation" />:!:

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.romanarmy.net">www.romanarmy.net
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#11
Your are of course correct that it is a specific copper-alloy helmet, but it seems to be also used to refer to a group of similar helmet types including this iron version.
Joe Balmos
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#12
Holy cow, nice work!
Xavier
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