

Normally, plumes or feather holders were present and positioned on each side of the helmet. With that, they might have rotted and gotten damaged over time. Theres not enough non-metal remains here, indicating that the boxes were most likely created using wood. They could also be fixed at the back of these protective gear. These crest boxes primarily had U-shaped crest holders that one could fit on fixing points on the crowns center. However in the late 1st BC until the 2nd AD, fittings appeared to indicate the use of detachable crest boxes. Thats because dyeing horse hair was challenging, especially when they only used natural vegetable dye back then.Įarlier types of helms seemed to only have centrally fixed plumes.

If this style continued until the Roman period, plumes/crests would likely sport a combination of red-brown, white, or black. They appeared to use either horse air or feathers. However, the way of attaching these varied depending on the location, period, and type of helmet.Įarliest forms of plumes were most likely similar to the ones depicted on early Greco-Etruscan potteries. They had a type of plume/crest holder on the helmets crown. Most of the helmets that were claimed to be utilized by the legionaries had similar qualities. For the latter, each half-skull may consist of a single piece of metal or three plate groups. These possessed a continuous fore-and-aft strip or ridge piece where two half-skulls are attached. All of these pieces shared the common features, specifically a bowl or skull of composite construction. Numerous helmets originating from the fourth and early fifth century have been discovered in Europe since the 19th century. Plus, they were mainly used for feathers.

These often featured tubes connected to the helmet’s side. These items were usually crowned using spikes or knobs for connecting the crests. Roman helmets coming from the later periods were created using one iron or brass sheet that provided enhanced protection. These protective wear were utilized by the Gallic tribes whom they battled with. The design and style of these were based on the Celtic helmets. These were referred to as the Galea or Imperial helmets. By the 1st BCE, these pieces evolved and turned into the well-known Roman helmet that most of us know of. The earlier Roman helmets like the Montefortino, sported a simple, dome-like design. Photo Source: Public Domain History of the Roman Helmet
