A strange silver mask from the Thorsberg bog

[Cornelius Quintus]

Avete omnes,

this mask of uncertain origin was part of a hoard found since 1860 in the Thorsberg bog in Northern Germany, near Denmark.
I visited an exhibition at the Schleswig-Holsteinische Landesmuseum Schloss Gottorf (the castle still is larger than it’s name) yesterday and will post some pics of other finds within the next days.

In the Thorsberg bog, ancient Germanics sacrificed weapons from their enemies.
90 % of the hoard finds were probably dumped during the third and fourth century AD.
Between them, there are items of Roman origin or at least Roman style. It is not known whether the items were battlefield boots from Roman or Germanic owners. Supposedly it was a fight between Germanics, which have been partially equipped with Roman items (from other fights before ?). Only the items were dumped there and almost damaged or destroyed before being thrown in the bog.

Due to the chemical environment, all iron and steel passed in that bog, but silver, gold, copper-alloy, wood, leather and even clothes survived in good condition.

The ‘Roman design’ finds seem to concern mainly auxiliary cavalry equipment.

Let’s take a close look on the first find for today:

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m199 ... Maske1.jpg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m199 ... aske3b.jpg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m199 ... aske5a.jpg
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m199 ... Maske4.jpg

This silver mask combined with a unique basket-shaped spangenhelm is a kind of a riddle.
Mask: 25,4 cm (hight) x 22,8 cm (width). Inventory code: Arch. Landesmuseum Schleswig Inv. No. F.S. 6233

Basket helmet:13,4 cm height, 19,3 cm diameter. Inventory code: Arch. Landesmuseum Schleswig Inv. F.S. 3683.


The museum don’t know if it was (partially?) a Roman mask and later reworked or damaged or a Germanic design which imitated a Roman mask.

So there are many possibilities. For example:
Both mask and helmet/cap were a set or in contrary separate items of different owners and use.
The pieces were of Roman origin and partially destroyed before sacrificing by cutting out the ‘face’.
The mask was of Roman origin and was recycled by a Germanic to suit his own purposes.
The mask is of Germanic or other origin and copies Roman style by intention or by chance.

Adrian / Peronis said the mask reminds him of an amazon mask, but with an added woman’s hair net. That's really a good point!

Was the wearer an ancient (unwillingly) Germanic drag queen? 8)

Any ideas to bring more light to this find?

[TITVS SABATINVS AQVILIVS]

Have you or has anyone a better image of this?



Vale,

[Caballo]

IM (very)HO I'd agree that it strongly resembles an Amazon sports helmet. However, the workmanship around the "face gap" looks good- and I wonder if it is a parallel of the Heddernheim helmet. If so the gap for the face was to improve visibility as an inherent part of the design rather than a barbarian sacrifice through cutting out the face, where good workmanship might be low on the agenda!

(From Caius Arquitius' earlier post)

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b202/ ... C02776.jpg

I can't see from the photos any join between the face mask and the silver "spangenhelm frame"- and wonder whether this is just a curator's fancy and that the two are simply displayed together?

Just my two penny worth.

Cheers

Caballo

[TITVS SABATINVS AQVILIVS]

It looks like a "germanized" amazon/roman woman hairstyle on a parade mask like this:

[url:2o69p17p]http://www.romancoins.info/a-2005-helmet%20(6).JPG[/url]

Inspired by a hairstyle like this with a basketed bun:



To get room for a real hair, like in the Emesa facemask helmet...

Valete,

[markusaurelius]

Looks like a Cavalry face mask that Daniele described, but with the face portion cruedly cut out. Perhaps it was captured and modified from the Romans......

[Arthes]

It looks like a "germanized" amazon/roman woman hairstyle on a parade mask like this:

[url:w7ljogu0]http://www.romancoins.info/a-2005-helmet%20(6).JPG[/url]

Inspired by a hairstyle like this with a basketed bun:



To get room for a real hair, like in the Emesa facemask helmet...

Valete,

So, it is not impossible that it belonged to a female warrior with long hair....a Sarmatian maybe...?

[Caratacus]

This particular helmet was described in:

Garbsch, J., (1978), "Römische Paraderüstungen" p.72 , O.57 & Taf.25.4

However, it was not shown with the 'hair net' in this particular publication. While the helmet itself belongs to Robinson's "Cavalry Sports, Type F" the addition of the nair net appears to be a unique feature. There are at least five other helmets known that belong to this group, although with the exception of the one from Pfrondorf (Baden-Württemberg), found in 1868, none are as complete as this one.

Mike Thomas
(Caratacus)

[john m roberts]

Trivia time:
A helmet based on this one was worn by Henry Wilcoxon in the film "The Warlord," in the first fight with Charlton Heston. the same helmet was worn again, as a gladiator helmet, in the "Created Equal" episode of the time-travel series "Voyagers!" in 1982. It showed up again in the first "Highlander" movie, worn by a guy in the background on the bridge at Eilean Donan castle. Do I know my movie armor trivia or what?

[Caratacus]

Mr. Roberts - you really, really have to get out more! That is the most astonishing collection of movie trivia I have ever come across!
:lol:
Mike Thomas
(Caratacus)

[Graham Sumner]

A helmet based on this one was worn by Henry Wilcoxon in the film "The Warlord," in the first fight with Charlton Heston. the same helmet was worn again, as a gladiator helmet, in the "Created Equal" episode of the time-travel series "Voyagers!" in 1982. It showed up again in the first "Highlander" movie, worn by a guy in the background on the bridge at Eilean Donan castle. Do I know my movie armor trivia or what?

This particular helmet was described in:

Garbsch, J., (1978), "Römische Paraderüstungen" p.72 , O.57 & Taf.25.4

However, it was not shown with the 'hair net' in this particular publication. While the helmet itself belongs to Robinson's "Cavalry Sports, Type F" the addition of the nair net appears to be a unique feature. There are at least five other helmets known that belong to this group, although with the exception of the one from Pfrondorf (Baden-Württemberg), found in 1868, none are as complete as this one.

It is not surprising that this particular helmet turned up in the movies as it was used in several turn of the 19th 20th century archaeological reconstruction paintings of early Germanic warriors. Hollywood does sometimes do accurate research.

In fact the 'hair net' is not unique. I have just done a reconstruction myself of someone wearing one of these helmets for my latest publication and one of the sources was an ancient fresco painting. All will be revealed soon.

Graham.

[MARCvSVIBIvSMAvRINvS]

it might be fro Roman origin, however it looks inherently Celtic/Germanic to me...

notwithstanding the Romanesque hairdo....

M.VIB.M.

[Caratacus]

Just to add a little bit to my earlier post, this 'helmet' turned up in an exhibition staged in Copenhagen in 2003. The catalogue for this exhibition shows the helmet but without the 'hair net'. It does mention that the decoration on the helmet included gilding in places. Obviously an expensive item that was once owned by someone of consequence.

Mike Thomas
(Caratacus)

[Cornelius Quintus]

Avete omnes,

many thanks for the competent comments which show similarities to finds and sources I didn’t know before! (Laudes will follow one after another).

Mask and ‘hairnet’ seem to be single pieces without any hinges or joining parts, just found at the same location. There’s an old tradition to combine them. A 19th century painting by a Mr. Stephens featured a Germanic warrior equipped with a lot of finds from the Thorsberg bog.

…that it strongly resembles an Amazon sports helmet. However, the workmanship around the "face gap" looks good- and I wonder if it is a parallel of the Heddernheim helmet. If so the gap for the face was to improve visibility as an inherent part of the design rather than a barbarian sacrifice through cutting out the face, where good workmanship might be low on the agenda!

On my next visit, the mask will be in it’s usual display case (now being part of a special ‘gold and silver’ exhibition). I try to have a closer look on the face gap, then.

It looks like a "germanized" amazon/roman woman hairstyle on a parade mask like this:

[url:2ahyzhuy]http://www.romancoins.info/a-2005-helmet%20(6).JPG[/url]

Inspired by a hairstyle like this with a basketed bun:



To get room for a real hair, like in the Emesa facemask helmet...

Very similar hair style, indeed!

Looks like a Cavalry face mask that Daniele described, but with the face portion cruedly cut out. Perhaps it was captured and modified from the Romans......

Right, compared to the two other samples (links above) the cut-out looks crude, not lined or made to fit a missing ‘visor’.

This particular helmet was described in:

Garbsch, J., (1978), "Römische Paraderüstungen" p.72 , O.57 & Taf.25.4

However, it was not shown with the 'hair net' in this particular publication. While the helmet itself belongs to Robinson's "Cavalry Sports, Type F" the addition of the nair net appears to be a unique feature. There are at least five other helmets known that belong to this group, although with the exception of the one from Pfrondorf (Baden-Württemberg), found in 1868, none are as complete as this one.

Thanks for the source hint!
Mask and ‘hairnet’ seem to be single pieces without any hinges or joining parts, just found at the same location. There’s an ‘old tradition’ to combine them. A 19th century painting by a Mr. Stephens featured a Germanic warrior equipped with a lot of finds from the Thorsberg bog (detail from Stephen’s picture also showing two phalerae):

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m199 ... 867det.jpg

Trivia time:
A helmet based on this one was worn by Henry Wilcoxon in the film "The Warlord," in the first fight with Charlton Heston. the same helmet was worn again, as a gladiator helmet, in the "Created Equal" episode of the time-travel series "Voyagers!" in 1982. It showed up again in the first "Highlander" movie, worn by a guy in the background on the bridge at Eilean Donan castle.

Wow – I’ll check my Highlander DVD now!

It is not surprising that this particular helmet turned up in the movies as it was used in several turn of the 19th 20th century archaeological reconstruction paintings of early Germanic warriors. Hollywood does sometimes do accurate research.

In fact the 'hair net' is not unique. I have just done a reconstruction myself of someone wearing one of these helmets for my latest publication and one of the sources was an ancient fresco painting. All will be revealed soon.

Great! I’m already curious – please keep us informed when it will be available!

Just to add a little bit to my earlier post, this 'helmet' turned up in an exhibition staged in Copenhagen in 2003. The catalogue for this exhibition shows the helmet but without the 'hair net'. It does mention that the decoration on the helmet included gilding in places. Obviously an expensive item that was once owned by someone of consequence.

Ludwig Wamser (Die Römer zwischen Alpen und Nordmeer) also published single photographs of each of both finds. BTW: there is some exchange of finds between ‘our’ part of Northern Germany and Denmark, because this area changed ‘ownership’ some times during history. About 100 years there was a quarrel about the Thorsberg and Nydam bog finds, but now we are all Europeans, and even the famous Nydam ship was brought from Schleswig to Denmark for a year (and retuned now).

[Nieczar]

Hello

Veeery long time I wasn't here.
I will take back to life this very old and dead topic.
Currently I'm creating brass/tinned replica of this beautyfull mask ,but there's something I need to know.
Inside mas was found some remins of iron core - under hairdress part . My question is:
is that only place with iron core ? ...and what about whole face part ? are there any remains of that ?
Thanx for any help

[Decebalus]

In the last years some further investigations in this helmet have been done.

S. Matesic has made a new digital reconstruction of the "crown" (which was most probably found in its parts and reconstructed as a crown later on - three different versions of this are known). Her interpretation has the parts mounted on a now mostly lost iron core and shows that it could have been a fully functional rear part of the mask helmet.
Der germanische Helm aus dem Thorsberger Moor

Th. Fischer has written an article on his theory that the silver face mask has been made of a lifesize gallic statue.
Bemerkungen zum sogenannten Gesichtshelm aus Thorsberg

The Thorsberg Bog find is recently in a new four-volume publication and vol 3 (the armour and weapons) which will be published end of 2014 will discuss the mask helmet too.
Neue Publikationsreihe "Das Thorsberger Moor"