Phrygic helmet

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A Phrygian or Thracian helmet is an ancient type of bronze helmet worn mainly by the ancient Greeks and in Hellenistic-influenced countries.

Description

The calotte (helmet bell) was highly shaped and in many cases possessed a forwardly inclined or overlapping tip, similar to the Phrygian cap. Other features were a narrow umbrella and large, attached cheek pieces that offered good protection to the face. The latter also recalled the form of the Phrygian hat worn by the Thracians. The cheek pieces could also be fused to the chin and upper lip, in this case they are called “beard” (in fact, a beard was often embossed as an ornament). The bell could sometimes have a horse mane or feathers attached. Also movable cheek flaps and also wings were attached to the helmets.

This type of helmet can already be found on late Hittite sculptures of the 8th century BC, in the New Assyrian Empire and in Cyprus. According to representations in Greek art, it was used more frequently from the 5th century BC to the 2nd century BC. The main areas of the finds are the Danube estuary, Greece and Lower Italy.

Origin
Based on descriptions of helmets and garments in the Homeric epics and results of experimental archaeology in the 1970s, Gérard Seiterle reconstructed the “Homeric leather helmet” as the common precursor of Phrygian helmet and Phrygian hat. So it was the Korys (or Kyneae) tryphalos or amphiphalos originally around a helmet made of hard-dried cowhide leather, more precisely: from the fur part around the scrotum of a bull, which, however, was reinforced early on with parts made of bronze and then recreated entirely in bronze. The adorning epithets tryphalos and amphiphalos mean roughly: "with four phaloi" or "with phaloi on both sides", the rarer aulopsis: "tube-shaped" (literally "stem-eyed"). These so far difficult to interpret phaloi were probably the four stunted teats of the bull, which are arranged in pairs and are located directly in front of the scrotum. On drying the leather placed over a dummy head, these teats harden to form horn-like tubular spikes which adorn and additionally reinforce the forehead part of the helmet. The scrotum was stuffed out and bent forward (referred to by Homer as kymbachos). This resulted in a good basis for the attachment of a horsehair helmet bush with a favorable weight distribution (lophos, cf. the Roman Crista). Around the calotte a band of leather or metal was laid (stephane), which covered the seam between the calotte and the also leather cheek and neck guards. In addition, Homer mentions another headgear made of bull leather called kataityx. From de