Lot 1164

Description

Iron helmet with a calotte made of four welded sections. Two lateral "spherical segments" welded from below to a central band that is clearly indented on both sides and extends from the forehead to the nape. There are opposing groups of three pseudo-rivets on the edges of the centre band. None of the externally visible rivet heads belong to a rivet that pierces both sheets. The ‘rivet heads’ therefore have a primarily decorative purpose, but are derived from other late antique helmets with a genuine rivet connection as a "typological rudiment". A 5 cm high iron band was placed around the edge of the three-part calotte, which is welded to the three-part calotte in the upper approx. 1 - 2 cm and protrudes approx. 3 - 4 cm downwards. The iron band overlaps approx. 5 mm in the neck area, where it is also welded. Three rivets on the outside of the strap near the edge of the overlap are again only pseudo-rivets. Only the "rivet heads" are visible on the outside and are probably pressed through from the inside. This also applies to the 'rivet heads' along the upper edge of the iron band, which suggest that the spherical segments are riveted to the iron band. This technical feature of the pseudo-rivets is also described as typical of the helmets of this type known to date. Length of the helmet 23.5 cm. Width 18 cm. Height 14 cm. Surface with slight corrosion pitting. In overall excellent condition with clearly visible technical details. It is a type of late antique helmet that was certainly produced in the late Roman Empire and whose isolated occurrence in non-Roman contexts can be regarded as a Mediterranean export. The exact date of these helmets between the late 5th and 6th century still requires further research. It can be assumed that this helmet type has chronological overlaps with other late antique helmet types and existed at least in part at the same time as these helmet types (e.g. Berkasovo, Biberwier, Der-el-Medineh; early Byzantine clasp helmets).

Provenance: Form a southern German private collection. Before from an English collection coming from the Artemis Gallery USA in 2016, who acquired it from the former owner.

Condition: II - III Questions about the lot?