Leather helmet and armour covers

[Marcus Mummius]

Salvete,

I don't know if anyone has ever attempted the construction of one of these. They are mentioned several times in the written sources though. For example by Caesar.

I know we do not know what they looked like. But this is experimental archaeology

I'd very much appreciate if you could share your thoughts on the construction of these items.

Helmet cover: I suggest talking about a cover for a helmet with a neckguard like the coolus or Imperial and Gallic types.

Armour covers: I think both a hamata cover and a segmentata cover would be interesting.

Valete,
Jef

[caiusbeerquitius]

know we do not know what they looked like. But this is experimental archaeology

What is experimental archaeology? You would first need a object-related question, then an experiment, and then it would have to be published. Problem here: No object, hence no experimental archaeology. Or, based on the sources, you could make an experiment with a piece of armour out on your lawn. Cover half of the armour with leather. Wait until it rains. When the rain stops, compare the armour that was under the leather with the armour that wasn´t. Experiment probably successful: Leather covering keeps armour dry. But that wouldn´t actually be a very new insight, would it :wink:
de rebus bellicis has some illustrations that show what the author calls "Libyan Hide", which seems to be a long-sleeved knee-long leather tunic. As this is probably the only source we have, I´d use it.

[Marcus Mummius]

I knew someone was going to say something like this, and suspected it was going to be you :wink:

You are right of course.

The things just intrigue me. We know they existed. We know they would be needed in a Northern European climate.

What could those things have looked like? For example a helmet cover. It should be quite big to acommodate the neckguard...

Do you perhaps have a picture of the drawing of that Libyan hide?
It is long sleeved but so was the hamata in that period, no? So in a first century the sleeves might not have existed? So a hamata cover could just be two leather rectangles like a tunic.

But I wonder if such a thing would fit over a segmentata easily...

Vale,

[Magnus]

It's an interesting idea to try, but without anymore info, not an integral piece of gear to have for an impression, since too much would be based on speculation.

[Marcus Mummius]

I was wondering, is there a text from the 1st century AD or onwards that mentions helmet or armour covers?

Most of Caesar's legionarries were supposed to wear helmets of a cupric alloy (will not be damaged as easily as iron by weathercircumstances) but still they seemed to have protected their helmets by covers.

[Peroni]

Hi Jef,
The leather hamata covers have been discussed before ..
http://w10.eleven2.com/~joorthuy/rat/vi ... 6a4a1d6b8b

As for leather helmet covers, there are some soldiers depicted on Trajan's Column that appear to be wearing such items.

There's a photo of it on the board somewhere but I can't find the damned thing! :roll:

[Primvs Pavlvs]

It's an interesting idea to try, but without anymore info, not an integral piece of gear to have for an impression, since too much would be based on speculation.

Matt a large part, if not the vast majority of what we do is based on speculation. We all assume Romans had shields painted one color, same for tunics etc etc. Yet this does not make our experiments, or reconstructions invalid. There is a certain amount of data that can be gathered even with speculations.

[Peroni]

Found IT!

Here's the chap wearing what looks like a helmet cover.

The usual depiction is with cross-braced helmet and a browguard that encircles the helmet. This one does not have the same level of detail, and perhaps it is masked by a helmet cover?

Alternatively it could just be that the sculptor didn't actually finish the detail on this soldier(?)

[Marcus Mummius]

Thanks very much Adrian.

Yes, I remember that earlier discussion.

A thought: if you wear a leather jerkin over your hamata your sweat might not evaporate but get caught under the leather jerkin and cause rusting of the hamata... Just the opposite of what the cover is meant to do... Or would this not be the case?

Interesting pic from TC. IF it was a helmet cover it looks like the cheekguards were left uncovered...

[Primvs Pavlvs]

Thanks very much Adrian.

A thought: if you wear a leather jerkin over your hamata your sweat might not evaporate but get caught under the leather jerkin and cause rusting of the hamata... Just the opposite of what the cover is meant to do... Or would this not be the case?

Jef,

Throughout the middle ages it was common to wear padded garmets over the maille. Could this be a similar idea not only to protect the maille from moisture, but also to keep it from catching a weapon tip.

[Marcus Mummius]

Were these padded garments somtimes made out of leather?

The written sources tell us that the soldiers took of the covers to fight. So I think they just had to protect the armour, not serve as additional armour.

[Primvs Pavlvs]

Were these padded garments somtimes made out of leather?

The written sources tell us that the soldiers took of the covers to fight. So I think they just had to protect the armour, not serve as additional armour.

The extant padded garments we have from the middle ages are of cloth. However there is some written sources to suggest some were covered in leather.

[Peroni]

Looking in closer detail at the soldier with a possible helmet cover...

Normally on TC we see the ring at the apex of the helmet detailed exactly as that. A donut shaped attachment. This soldier does not appear to have the ring as finely detailed - looking just as if it were covered in fabric or leather.

Ever seen racing jockeys? They were coloured covers on their riding helmets to be easily identified from a distance and to show the colours of the owning stable. Perhaps the Roman use of colour on the battlefield extended to the use of coloured helmets?

COH I wears green COH II red etc etc

[sulla felix]

Just read this in the Ancient Warfare brochure:

"When these men are merely on the march, they do not put on gleaming armour, nor have their shields polished and helmets uncovered, as they have now taken the leather covers from their armour. No this splendour means they are going to fight, and are now advancing on their enemies"

Plutarch, Lucullus, 27.5

Interesting about the polished shields - I am just about to wax my scutum!

[Primvs Pavlvs]

I am just about to wax my scutum!

This phrase could be easily mistaken for something else hock: