Helmets: An introspective into how the ancients attempted to keep brains in heads

(Corinthian style helmet)

There were so many different styles and types of helmets that our ancient ancestors used to help keep them alive during battle its hard to not just collect them as a subset... oh, wait! Looking at my collection it appears that I have
Remember, when the helmet failed the wearer met hell
Sometimes you pay a little extra when the coin looks a lot better than other examples, even when it's for something as basic as a helmet.
This coin is definitely in that category ... though, I suppose there's nothing basic about helmets:

Kassander
(316-297 BC). Ae. Uncertain Macedonian mint.
Obv: Helmet left.
Rev: BAΣIΛEΩΣ / KAΣΣANΔΡOΥ.
Spear head.
SNG München 1035; HGC 3.1, 999.
Condition: Very fine.
Weight: 3.98 g.
Diameter: 18 mm.
Purchased from Numismatik Naumann April 2022

And some more head huggers:


A coin that never comes clearly showing all features (sorry Medusa's severed head and body) but this one gives an excellent view of the griffin:

Pontos. Amisos c 85-65 BC.
Bronze Æ, 30mm., 18,18g.
Helmeted head of Athena right, helmet decorated with griffin / AMIΣOY Perseus standing holding harpa and head of Medusa, at feet, body of Medusa, monograms to both sides.VF Sea 1166-76 (same).

Another alluringhelmet used by the Campanian mercenaries better known as the Mamertines:

SICILY, Entella. Campanian mercenaries. Circa 342-338 BC. Æ (16mm, 3.20 g, 9h). Horse prancing right / Helmet right. Campana 12; CNS 14OS; HGC 2, 254. Fine. Purchased from Savoca March 2022

Certainly the absurdity of the double Athenas staring each other down and artistry sold me on this having a home in my cabinet:

LYCIA. Xanthos. Hemiobol or Tetartemorion (0.6 g. 10 mm.) (Circa 410-400 BC).
Obv: Helmeted head of Athena right within dotted border.
Rev: Helmeted head of Athena left within dotted border.
SNG von Aulock -; cf. BMC 109 (Obol). Toned.
Good very fine.
Purchased from NBS November 2021

Of course a couple of wicked looking Macedonian helmets never hurt anybody... oh wait, of course they did!

Tryphon, Diodotus
Antioch, 141 BCE, AE 18mm, 4.7g
Obvs: Head of Tryphon right diademed.
Revs: BAΣΙΛEΩΣ TPYФΩNOΣ AYTOKPATOPOΣ, Spiked Macedonian helmet. Grain to left
Order # G 139
SC 2034.2b Ex:Savoca

My first MSC!
Helmets towards the end of the Macedonian empire seem to be much more utilitarian:
Philip V and Perseus. Ca. 221-168 B.C.E
Macedonian Kingdom. AE unit (17.1 mm, 6.07 g, 12 h). Uncertain Macedonian mint. Macedonian shield, star with spiral in center boss / M-K, ΔONΩN, Macedonian helmet with cheek guards, BA monogram below. SNG Alpha Bank -; SNG Cop -; McClean 3666. VF. Rare

Though, my favorite helmet on coin is right there in my avatar:

(Attic style helmet, 300 BCE)


Philip V
(221-179 BC). Tetradrachm. Uncertain Macedonian mint.
Obv: Head of Perseus left, wearing winged helmet surmounted by griffin's head; harpa in background; all in the centre of Macedonian shield.
Rev: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ / ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ.
Club right between legend in two lines; all within wreath right.
SNG München 1125; HGC 3.1, 1056.
Condition: Fine.
Weight: 16.91 g.
Diameter: 30 mm. Purchased from Numismatik Naumann November 2021



Come on helmet heads and post those gnarly gnoggin guards, head protectors, skull caps and whatever makes you squeamish

 

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Here is my Corinthian Reproduction Perhaps Corinthian is not Corinthian, I will call it Greek….

 

Roman Helmet

 

Tetradrachm, Stephanophoric type
30 x 29.5 mm, 17.202 g, 12 h
Ionia, Herakleia ad Latmon, after 165 BC, ca. 165 – 140 BC
SNG Lockett 2823; Pozzi 2452; SNG Kayhan 330; Lavva, Silberprägung, Group II.B, 8–9 var. (V5/R – [unlisted rev. die]); BMC 1 – 2; Jameson 1503; S. 4453 (monograms).

Obv.: Helmeted head of Athena Parthenos to r. wearing ornately decorated helmet: Pegasos above raised ear flap, five horses on visor, Artemis on neck guard
Rev.: HΡAKΛEΩTΩN, club; below, ΣK at left and ΩΔΡI at right of Nike walking l. holding wreath, all within laurel wreath

Picture courtesy CNG:

 

I posted all or most of these before, but why not again?

A few of my favorite helmets on ancient coins, atop the heads of Athena, Roma, Mars, Arcadius, and Constantinopolis:













My favorite helmet on an ancient artifact, a 60 mm. bronze figurine of Mars Ultor:






My favorite old photo of someone in a helmet: my maternal grandfather in late October 1915 at the age of 20, taken in Cambrai in Northern France. He was an Unteroffizier in the 6. Infanterie Division, 12. Infanterie Brigade, Infanterie-Regiment
Großherzog Friedrich Franz II von Mecklenburg-Schwerin (4. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 24 [you can read the 24 on his shoulder], 11. Compagnie, and was wounded four months later at Verdun.

 

Here are some helmets!

 

All I've got is the classic, good ol' Athena:

 

Great, Donna those are absolutely wonderful

 

Very nice

 

Maximinus II
A.D. 309- 310
Ӕ follis 26mm 6.4g
MAXIMINVS NOB CAES; Helmeted and cuirassed bust left, holding spear over his right shoulder and shield decorated with two horsemen with Draco standards riding to left, four enemies below them; on cuirass, gorgoneion; on helmet, Sol standing facing in quadriga, raising his right hand in salute and holding globe in his left, around, stars and crescent, crest ending in griffin.
VIRTVS EXERCITVS; Mars standing front, head to left, resting right hand on decorated shield and holding spear in left; in field to left, lighted altar; B in right field.
In ex. ANT RIC VI Antioch 125

 

Pharsalos Ar Drachm 400-370 BC Obv Head of Athena right wearing Attic style helmet with raised cheek pieces. Rv. Thessalian cavalryman on prancing horse right. Lavva 80 V41/R48 BCD 638 5.95 grms 19 mm Photo by W. Hansen This was another of the coins I found while attending the NYINC earlier this year. This coin is another example of the rich numismatic heritage from the region of Thessaly.

 

Wow,@DonnaML, those are great ...and the one time I ever got to Europe, as an 11-year-old kid, the family spent a day at Verdun. Death on a truly industrial scale, almost as if to anticipate what would happen in the following generation, by other, still more horrifying means.
...And, especially to your point, here are a couple of recycles from an otherwise embarrassingly recent thread.


AEthelred II, 'Helmet type' penny, c. 1003-1009 (North 775). Followed by Cnut:

 

New fashion tendencies - an outfit composed of helmet and cloak


Marcus Aurelius AD 161-180
AR Denarius
175-176
M ANTONINVS AVG GERM SARM
Head of Marcus Aurelius, laureate, right
TR P XXX IMP VIII COS III
Mars, helmeted, naked except for cloak flying behind, advancing right, holding transverse spear in right hand and trophy, sloped over left shoulder, in left hand

A strong archaic style - Attic helmet



10 mm, 0,88 g
Pisidia, Selge AR Obol Circa 350-300 BC Obverse: Facing gorgoneion with protruding tongue Reverse: Head of Athena to left, wearing crested Attic helmet; behind, astragalos References: SNG France 1928. SNG von Aulock 5281 Notes: Archaic style and a scarce variety with Athena portrait left. Possibly pre-dating the usual date of 350-300 BC typically assigned to this type.

... and also an archaic Corinthian



Mysia. Lampsakos circa 500-450 BC.
Tetartemorion 0,14 g, 7 mm

Male head (of Apollo?) to left, wearing taenia.
Rev: Head of Athena to left, wearing Corinthian helmet, within incuse square.
Asia Minor Coins, #12762; similar to CNG E-Auction 378 (2016), 161; Pecunem Online Auctions Auction 39 3 January 2016, lot 257; otherwise unpublished in the standard references

I don't know what kind of helmet this is, perhaps @Ryro can help, I have seen this type of coins once or twice in his posts

( )

A Corinthian without its owner



Thrace. Mesembria circa 420-320 BC.
Bronze Æ
13 mm, 2,16 g
Crested Corinthian helmet facing / META between four spokes of wheel. SNG BM 272-274; SNG Stancomb 225; Serdica CCCH IX, 14-18; Karayotov II, 47-54; SNG Cop. 653.


An Attic one on a RR quartuncia



Anonymous 217-215 BC. Rome
Quartuncia Æ
16 mm, 2,46 g
Obv: Head of Roma, right, wearing Attic helmet. / Rev: Roma, Prow, right
RRC 38/8

Honorius looks pretty proud about his.



Honorius AD 393-423. Cyzicus
Follis Æ
18 mm, 2,63 g
401-403 AD
D N HONORI-VS P F AVG, bust of Honorius, helmeted, pearl-diademed, cuirassed, facing front, holding spear in right hand behind head and shield decorated with cross on left arm / CONCORDI-A AVGG, Constantinopolis, helmeted, draped, enthroned, enthroned, facing front, head right, holding long sceptre in right hand and Victory on globe in left hand; beneath her right foot, prow.
RIC X Arcadius 95

 

Cool helmets


P. Satrienus, Denarius - Rome mint, 77 BC
Head of helmeted Mars right, XXX behind
ROMA, She wolf passing left, [P] SATRI[E/NUS] at exergue
3.79 gr
Ref : RCV #319, RSC, Satriena # 1



Cnaeus Pompey Jr, Denarius - Corduba ? in 46-45 BC
M [POBLICI LEG] PRO PR, Helmeted head of Rome right
CN MAGNVS IMP, Spain standing right, presenting palm branch to a soldier (Pompey ?) standing left on a prow of galley
3.65 gr
Ref : HCRI # 48, RCV #1384, Cohen #1

Q

 

When I was 9 years old, my mum bought me a coin magazine that had an auction lift out in it. It had an Athenian tetradrachm with Athena wearing a crested helmet in it. From that moment I was hooked on ancient coins and especially Athena and her helmet.

Many years later here are two of my favourites,(shown a number of times before). Firstly an archaic tetradrachm from Athens c. 500 - 490 BC and secondly a di nomos from Thurium in Italy c. 400 BC.

 

fashionable protection...

 

Some Constantinian period helmets, some crested and some high-crested.

 

Ah yes! We colloquially referred to these as brain buckets when I was in the Army. Everything tends to take a dark tone of humor in the Infantry. Here are a few of my ancients with a decent looking brain bucket...

 

I was never a fan of wearing a helmet when I was in the Army. Our helmets in the 60's consisted of a soft helmet and then a steel pot on top of that. I was a skinny kid when I got drafted in '68, and the helmet made my head wobble. However, after Basic Training and AIT, I jumped from 140 to 180 at 6'2". Skinny kids like me and the over weight kids were on special diets to add weight or lose it. Anyway, jumping with a helmet wasn't fun to me. I like the looks of the helmets shown, but I wonder if they had any padding between their heads and their helmets.

 

I won't post a photo of my bicycling helmet, but I will compliment @Ryro on the headline, and observe that keeping brains in heads is still a worthy goal.