Why do Roman helmets have plumes? A cubit is 1.5 feet, so you can see how having these feathers on your helmet would make you taller, more colourful, more impressive, more intimidating. Did Roman helmets have padding? Padding for Helmets There is currently only limited evidence for how Roman helmets were padded in normal use.
What color were Roman helmets made of?
Some of the helmets used by legionaries had a crest holder. The crests were usually made of plumes or horse hair. While the fur is usually red, the crests possibly occurred in other colors, like yellow, purple and black, and possibly in combinations of these colors such as alternating yellow and black.
What are the crests on a Roman helmet?
Helmet crests. Some of the helmets used by legionaries had a crest holder. The crests were usually made of plumes or horse hair. While the fur is usually red, the crests possibly occurred in other colors, like yellow, purple and black, and possibly in combinations of these colors such as alternating yellow and black.
Why did the Romans wear feathers on their helmets?
In the Republic, the Romans wore them for the same reason basically everybody in the ancient world wore such decorations on their armour: because it made them look taller and more impressive (Goldsworthy, "Fall of Carthage", 47). Indeed, as Polybius points out of the feathers on the hastatiin the mid 2nd Century BC:
Did Roman helmets have horse hair brushes?
Roman helmets had brushes or plumes of horsehair. It seemed to have been a purely astetic addition, with little practical use. However it was the continuation of a type of helmet known as the Illyrian Helmet which had horse hair brushes. Used widely throughout the Classical and Prehistoric, in Greece, the Balkans and Italy.
Why did the Romans wear plumes?
Why are there bristles on Roman helmets?
Why were centurions promoted?
What type of helmet had horse hair?
What does it mean when a Roman helmet has a comb?
How did ancient battles end?
Why is it important to know where officers were in the heat of battle?
See 4 more
About this website
Why did soldiers wear plumes?
Throughout history plumes have served a number of purposes in military culture. Worn on helmets that all but obscured a soldier's face, they indicated his allegiance. Some plumes distinguished military commanders, and some were used as regalia for special military units.
Why did Romans have plumes?
The purposes of these plumes or crests are thought to have been either for decoration, unit identification or as an indication of rank. Evidence from sculpture and monuments indicate that by the 2nd Century AD the crests were not used during combat and are mainly depicted only in use for parades or festivals.
Why did Romans have hair on their helmets?
Many Roman helmets would have been decorated with plumes to increase their height and appear more intimidating to the enemy. It was not unusual for Roman soldiers to carve their names into their helmets.
What is the red thing on a Roman helmet?
The most distinctive feature of Roman helmets is the crest adorning the top of the helmet. These crests were either made of plumes or horse hair. They were most commonly painted red, although they sometimes appear in other colors such as white.
What is the purpose of plumes?
A plume is a special type of bird feather, possessed by egrets, ostriches, birds of paradise, quetzals, pheasants, peacocks and quails. They often have a decorative or ornamental purpose, commonly used among marching bands and the military, worn on the hat or helmet of the wearer.
What is the plume on a helmet called?
clue. answer. length. Feathered plume on a helmet. PANACHE.
What is a Roman helmet slang?
A galea ([ˈɡäɫ̪eä], from Greek γαλέη, galéē, "weasel, marten") was a Roman soldier's helmet.
Did Spartan helmets have plumes?
Some of Spartan elite soldiers or even leaders wore red plume helmets which retained a similar design as that of the foot soldier only that it had a large plume that had a tail end. This was mainly to the height of the soldier adding intimidation factor.
What was on top of Roman helmets?
The Montefortino was made most commonly from bronze, but iron was also occasionally used. It is characterized by its conical or rounded shape and a raised central knob on top of the helmet. It also featured a protruding neck guard and cheek plates which protected the side of the head.
How heavy is a Roman helmet?
1325gKey Features:MPNAH3801Barcode806810451489SizeHeight: 28cm Width: 22cm Length: 37cm Weight: 1325g All dimensions are approximate.Item ReturnsThis item can be returned
Why did Spartans have mohawks?
A brightly colored horsehair crest was worn on the top of the helmet to make the hoplite look taller and more imposing as well as to possibly help soften the blows from enemy weapons. It could also serve as a badge of rank or designate one's unit.
Why do Romans wear red?
On the battlefield, the red tunic worn under the armour represented blood and strength. Certainly, the compact line of the Roman infantry, dressed in red, had a psychological impact on the enemy army, which perceived it as strong and valiant.
Why did Centurions have plumes?
But for the majority of soldiers, the plumes were there primarily to make them look taller and more impressive in order to intimidate their enemies.
What purpose did the Romans portraiture serve?
By the imperial age, though they were often realistic depictions of human anatomy, portrait sculpture of Roman emperors were often used for propaganda purposes and included ideological messages in the pose, accoutrements, or costume of the figure.
Who made the Roman busts?
By the 2nd century BCE, "most of the sculptors working at Rome" were Greek, often enslaved in conquests such as that of Corinth (146 BCE), and sculptors continued to be mostly Greeks, often slaves, whose names are very rarely recorded.
Why was portraiture of elders statesmen and others important to Roman society?
Classicizing idealization in portraiture allowed emperors to emphasize their loyalties to the imperial dynasty, and even legitimize their authority by visually linking themselves to their predecessors.
Roman Military Equipment: Helmets
Disclaimer: below is not a Roman helmet..... (British celtic helmet, London British Museum) Related Sections of the Roman Numismatic Gallery: The Location of Roman Legions from Caesar to ca. 300 AD is summarized in a table. Military Equipment
What were the different kinds of Ancient Roman Helmets? - HistoryTen
The Imperial Italic Helmet was initially made roughly. It lacked proper eyebrows, neck, or ear guard. It was modified after the Wars of Trojan in around 98 to 117 AD as the enemy’s attacks passed through the Roman shield puncturing the Italic Helmet.. Since then, the helmets were made to protect the skull, neck and had a standard feature of adding crossbars from 125 AD.
Why did the Romans wear plumes?
I believe that the Romans wore the horse hair plumes because the Greeks did before them. Just as the Romans used much of everything else Greek. I believe the ancient Greeks wore the plumes to make themselves appear to their enemies to be like centaurs, who were felt to be wild, untamed and savage beasts.
Why are there bristles on Roman helmets?
The reason there were bristles on the Roman soldiers helmets was it gave them the appearance of being taller. When you enter into battle you try to gain any physical as well as psychological advantage you can get. Looking taller meant a Roman soldier would look more fearsome to anyone they were fighting. A modern day version of this idea can be found in the DMZ village located between North and South Korea. The soldiers from the nations representing the United Nations at the DMZ in P’anmunjŏm are at least 6’ tall. The North Korean side generally have soldiers around 5’8” tall. The United Natio
Why were centurions promoted?
Depending on what time period this varied quite a bit. In the early Roman republic centurions were generally promoted for bravery. For example Spurious Ligustinus was recorded as being field promoted multiple times, to centurion of the 10th maniple of hastati, to centurion of the first century of hastati, later centurion of the first triarii (veterans) and finally primus pilus (first centurion of the legion). All of these promotions were based on bravery, though obviously he was a skilled warrior as well.
What type of helmet had horse hair?
It seemed to have been a purely astetic addition, with little practical use. However it was the continuation of a type of helmet known as the Illyrian Helmet which had horse hair brushes.
What does it mean when a Roman helmet has a comb?
The combs on the helmetss or Roman imperial soldiers was an indication of rank. Uniforms make people look alike and helmets insure the face. The comb on a helmet was a visual clue that the man yelling at you to go do something in the midst of combat was a unit commander, i.e., a centurion. 666 views.
How did ancient battles end?
The vast majority of ancient battles ended not when one side was annihilated, but when one side broke ranks and bolted. The quicker you could do that, the less costly and the less risky your battles were, so it was to your advantage to make your men as imposing as possible.
Why is it important to know where officers were in the heat of battle?
You could see where they were, which was reasonably important, because you are supposed to be in a particular position relative to them often. And if by some chance you didn't know them you would least know they had some sort of authority over you.
How did Roman helmets develop?
The Roman helmets of the type pictured above developed through the many years of Roman expansion and by copying parts of other helmets that made sense. It came many years after the Corinthian style had gone out of favour. It is essentially a good compromise between protection and field of vision/hearing for a very different type of warfare.
What was the helmet designed to cover?
The design of the classic ‘Corinthian’ style helmet was designed to cover as much of the man’s face as possible when fighting in a Phalanx formation. The armour of the time was developed to cover the parts of the body not protected by the shield when fighting in formation.
What helmet was developed after Phalanx?
However, the classic Roman helmet that most people think of, the Galea, developed long after Phalanx warfare was at its peak.
How did ancient battles end?
The vast majority of ancient battles ended not when one side was annihilated, but when one side broke ranks and bolted. The quicker you could do that, the less costly and the less risky your battles were, so it was to your advantage to make your men as imposing as possible.
What is the effect of feathers on a helmet?
The effect of these being placed on the helmet, combined with the rest of the armour, is to give the man the appearance of being twice his real height, and to give him a noble aspect calculated to strike terror into the enemy.
Why are transverse crests important?
When they are used only by leaders, they are valuable for orientation as well as for showing who must be obeyed.
Where was the Corinthian helmet used?
The Corinthian helmet was in wide use during the Archaic and early Classical periods in Ancient Greece. This is supported both by physical evidence and ancient sources.
Why do Roman soldiers wear feathers?
There are numerous other accounts of armies being described as impressive and intimidating because their armour was well-polished, their clothes were colourful, their soldiers were large, etc. As such, the feathers/brushes that Romans wore on their helmets served this same purpose, of making soldiers more impressive and intimidating the enemy. Such helmet decorations are peculiar not only to the Romans of course, and almost every ancient army tended to make a habit of putting something on their helmets or designing them in such a way as to make the soldier appear taller and more impressive. That it worked and continues to work is evident by the fact that soldiers continued to wear impressive but otherwise awkward helmets even in the modern day: observe the impressive headgear of, for instance, English dragoons or Napoleon's Imperial Guard. But going back to the ancient world, you can see similar practices by the Macedonians, the Gauls and pretty much everybody else to some extent.
Do soldiers wear headpieces?
As you can see, not only do they sometimes wear elaborate headpieces, they go to a lot of effort to make sure their armour is well-polished, to make it brighter and more impressive. The effect of impressively-attired individuals is magnified when an entire army is dressed in such a manner. The impression a well-outfitted army can have is described by Livy, of Hannibal's veterans at Cannae in 216 BC:
Did legionaries wear plumes?
So basically we don't know if legionaries wore those horse-hair plumes you see in movies a lot during battle, but we do know they wore plumes and similar things in the Mid-Republic, we know that their helmets could have crests or plumes attached to them even in later periods, and we know that crests, feathers, plumes and similar features of helmets were intended to make the soldier, in the context of battle, look taller, more impressive, and more intimidating.
Who influenced the Roman helmet?
Originally, Roman helmets were influenced by the neighboring Etruscans, people who utilised the "Nasua" type helmets. The Greeks in the south also influenced Roman design in its early history. The primary evidence is scattered archaeological finds, which are often damaged or incomplete.
What helmets did Roman soldiers wear?
Modern reconstruction of a centurion's helmet, first century. The embossed eyebrows and the circular brass bosses are typical of the Imperial Gallic helmets. A galea was a Roman soldier's helmet. Some gladiators , specifically myrmillones, also wore bronze galeae with face masks and decorations, often a fish on its crest.
What were the helmets of the Legionaries made of?
Some of the helmets used by legionaries had a crest holder. The crests were usually made of plumes or horse hair. While the fur is usually red, the crests possibly occurred in other colors, like yellow, purple and black, and possibly in combinations of these colors such as alternating yellow and black. Gladiators such as the samnis and the hoplomachus also probably wore large feathered crests.
Who classified helmets?
H. Russell Robinson in his book The Armour of Imperial Rome, published in 1975, classified into broad divisions the various forms of helmets that were found. He classified four main types of helmets for heavy infantry (with subcategories named with letters) and 30 different types of cheek guards.
Did the centurions wear crests?
There is some evidence ( Vegetius writings and some sculptures) that legionaries had their crests mounted longitudinally and centurions had them mounted transversely. Crests may have been worn at all times by centurions in the early empire, including during battle, but legionaries, and centurions during other periods, probably wore crests only occasionally.
Why did the Romans wear plumes?
I believe that the Romans wore the horse hair plumes because the Greeks did before them. Just as the Romans used much of everything else Greek. I believe the ancient Greeks wore the plumes to make themselves appear to their enemies to be like centaurs, who were felt to be wild, untamed and savage beasts.
Why are there bristles on Roman helmets?
The reason there were bristles on the Roman soldiers helmets was it gave them the appearance of being taller. When you enter into battle you try to gain any physical as well as psychological advantage you can get. Looking taller meant a Roman soldier would look more fearsome to anyone they were fighting. A modern day version of this idea can be found in the DMZ village located between North and South Korea. The soldiers from the nations representing the United Nations at the DMZ in P’anmunjŏm are at least 6’ tall. The North Korean side generally have soldiers around 5’8” tall. The United Natio
Why were centurions promoted?
Depending on what time period this varied quite a bit. In the early Roman republic centurions were generally promoted for bravery. For example Spurious Ligustinus was recorded as being field promoted multiple times, to centurion of the 10th maniple of hastati, to centurion of the first century of hastati, later centurion of the first triarii (veterans) and finally primus pilus (first centurion of the legion). All of these promotions were based on bravery, though obviously he was a skilled warrior as well.
What type of helmet had horse hair?
It seemed to have been a purely astetic addition, with little practical use. However it was the continuation of a type of helmet known as the Illyrian Helmet which had horse hair brushes.
What does it mean when a Roman helmet has a comb?
The combs on the helmetss or Roman imperial soldiers was an indication of rank. Uniforms make people look alike and helmets insure the face. The comb on a helmet was a visual clue that the man yelling at you to go do something in the midst of combat was a unit commander, i.e., a centurion. 666 views.
How did ancient battles end?
The vast majority of ancient battles ended not when one side was annihilated, but when one side broke ranks and bolted. The quicker you could do that, the less costly and the less risky your battles were, so it was to your advantage to make your men as imposing as possible.
Why is it important to know where officers were in the heat of battle?
You could see where they were, which was reasonably important, because you are supposed to be in a particular position relative to them often. And if by some chance you didn't know them you would least know they had some sort of authority over you.
Sculptural Evidence
- Many sculptures have been found showing the Roman army in operation as well as individual memorial monuments to soldiers. The workmanship on these monuments and indeed the amount of weathering vary considerably but the better known examples such as Trajan’s column may not be the best primary source for the type of helmets used at any given period of the Roman Empir…
Classification of Legionary Helmets
- H. Russell Robinson worked in the Royal Armouries and in 1975 was the primary researcher who using the available information, from archaeological finds of helmets throughout the Imperial Roman period, classified into broad divisions the various forms that were being found. For infantry he used four classifications for Legionary helmets. These were additionally lettered within each …
Helmet Crests and Plumes
- Most of the helmets normally identified as used by legionaries have some form of plume or crest holder on the crown of the helmet but the precise method of attachment varies depending on period, location made and the type of helmet. The earliest forms known were probably similar to those depicted on early Greco-Etruscan pottery. The plumes and cres...
Padding For Helmets
- There is currently only limited evidence for how Roman helmets were padded in normal use. The little evidence that has been found would appear to indicate that some form of thick woollen or possibly quilted linen padding was used but small pieces of leather have also been found with helmets. The leather found would probably have been used primarily as edging rather than as pa…
Changes in Late Period Roman Helmet Construction and Depiction
- In common with most armies, although helmets were made in slightly different patterns over time it is likely that a new legionary would normally have been issued with whatever type of helmet was available locally, irrespective if it was technically out of date. Only if a helmet deteriorated or was damaged to such an extent that it could no longer be repaired would it have ceased to be issued…
Sources
- H Russell Robinson “The Armour of Imperial Rome”, Purnell Book Services, Book Club Edition, 1975 used for references although acknowledgement is made in it to Arms and Armour Press and Lionel Leventhal Ltd. Peter Connolly “Greece and Rome at War”, Greenhill Books 1991, 1998.