Manufacture of Roman helmets

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Helmets are part of the military equipment of the Roman legions and auxiliary units . The manufacturing methods used and the material change over time and with the different types of helmets.

material

Roman helmets were usually made of bronze , brass or iron .

The first Roman helmets (helmet types Montefortino and Mannheim ) were still made exclusively from bronze. It was not until the Augustan period that they were also made of brass and iron. Both the non-ferrous metal and the iron were imported from larger production centers throughout the Roman Empire , but also obtained from smaller local deposits.

The procurement of iron in particular turned out to be unproblematic for the military, since the iron mines were state-owned. In addition to the freshly obtained raw material, scrap and scrap metal was also recycled and processed.

Manufacturing

The Romans used several processes to manufacture helmets, some of which were used in combination depending on the material and helmet type.

The domes of bronze helmets were used at the latest since the 4th century BC. Mostly cast from one piece. The liquid material is poured into a mold, where it then hardens. The blank is then reworked on a lathe and then finally compacted and polished with a hammer. As a result of this subsequent processing, it is usually difficult to recognize the underlying casting technique . Often, but not always, the cap and holder for the helmet bush , such as the Montefortino helmet type , were cast in one piece.

The driving process was used for both non-ferrous metal and iron helmets. In contrast to helmets made of bronze or brass, helmets made of iron have always been made this way. The helmet is carved out of thick, round sheet metal with hammer blows . The initial thickness of the sheet metal must not be too small, otherwise the finished helmet would have become too thin. The sheet is placed over a recess and worked with a hammer until it has the desired shape. The processed area now forms the inside of the helmet. The surface can be processed in the following step by placing it over a mushroom-shaped anvil and further processing the surface with the hammer. By working the iron with a hammer, the material loses its elasticity and becomes harder, but also more brittle.

Another technique used is metal spinning . A thick, round sheet of metal is clamped between a mold and a bracket. These are set in rotation. Now the metal is pressed over the mold.

The dome and the neck protector were made from one piece until late antiquity, regardless of the material used. The Port helmet type is an exception. With him, the calotte and the neck protection were manufactured individually and then put together. The cheek flaps were manufactured separately from the calotte and attached to the helmet afterwards, for example with hinges. This made it possible to lift them up, for example to hear better, or to tie them tightly to the head with a ribbon at the lower end of the cheek flaps.

coating

Several types of coatings are known on Roman helmets. As finds from waters and moors show, helmets made of brass or bronze were often tin-plated. This is called tinning or white metal coating . It has not been conclusively clarified whether this was about corrosion protection or whether the tin only had a decorative function. The fact that bronze and brass helmets are less prone to verdigris with relatively little maintenance work speaks against their function as corrosion protection. In the case of finds from other contexts, i.e. not from moors or bodies of water , tin-plating is difficult to prove, as it disappears very quickly in the soil.

Iron helmets require corrosion protection, as iron tends to rust more than non-ferrous metal . Coatings made of sheet bronze and gold-plated silver sheet are known. Tinning of iron helmets is not yet known. This is either due to the fact that tinning on iron is much worse than on non-ferrous metal, or because tinning was not possible in a satisfactory manner.

literature

  • Thomas Fischer : The army of the Caesars: archeology and history. Friedrich Pustet, Regensburg 2012, ISBN 3-7917-2413-4 .
  • Astrid Bongartz: Studies on Roman helmets: Investigations into the finds of Roman infantry and cavalry helmets from the end of the republic to the 3rd century AD. Dissertation, University of Cologne 2013 ( uni-koeln.de ).
  • Marcus Junkelmann : The Legions of Augustus. 15th thoroughly revised and expanded edition. Herbert Utz Verlag, Munich 2015, ISBN 978-3-8316-4304-2 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Marcus Junkelmann: The legions of Augustus . 15th, thoroughly revised and expanded edition. Utz, Munich 2015, ISBN 3-8316-4418-7 , p. 236 .
  2. ↑ Marcus Junkelmann: The Legions of Augustus . 15th, thoroughly revised and expanded edition. Utz, Munich 2015, ISBN 3-8316-4418-7 , p. 243 .
  3. ↑ a b Thomas Fischer: The army of the Caesars. Archeology and history . 2nd Edition. Friedrich Pustet, Regensburg 2014, ISBN 3-7917-2413-4 , pp. 81 .
  4. ↑ Thomas Fischer: The army of the Caesars. Archeology and history . 2nd Edition. Friedrich Pustet, Regensburg 2012, ISBN 3-7917-2413-4 , p. 79 .
  5. ↑ Thomas Fischer: The army of the Caesars. Archeology and history . 2nd Edition. Friedrich Pustet, Regensburg 2012, ISBN 3-7917-2413-4 , p. 144 .
  6. ↑ Thomas Fischer: The army of the Caesars. Archeology and history . 2nd Edition. Friedrich Pustet, Regensburg 2012, ISBN 3-7917-2413-4 , p. 162 .
  7. ↑ Thomas Fischer: The army of the Caesars. Archeology and history . 2nd Edition. Friedrich Pustet, Regensburg 2014, ISBN 3-7917-2413-4 , pp. 161 f .