Niederbieber (helmet)
| Niederbieber (helmet) | |
|---|---|
 Bronze helmet of the Niederbieber type from the vicus of Fort Buch |
|
| Information | |
| Weapon type: | Protective weapon |
| Designations: | Niederbieber |
| Use: | helmet |
| Working time: | Second half of the 2nd century to the second half of the 3rd century (unambiguously datable finds extend to the Limes Falls in AD 259/260) |
| Region of origin / author: |
Roman Empire , armourers |
| Distribution: | Roman Empire |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Roman helmet type Niederbieber (also called Rainau-Buch / Niederbieber type ) was a protective weapon of the legions and auxiliary troops . It was named after the location of the Niederbieber fort on the Upper German Limes, which was destroyed by AD 259/260 . Helmets of this type are considered to be the latest form of the typical imperial time - Gallic helmet type Weisenau , which is available from the late Republican period in the find material. The Niederbieber type was in use in the late 2nd and 3rd centuries. During the late antiquity , completely new helmet forms found their way into the Roman army.
description
Niederbieber helmets are made of sheet bronze and have a relatively flat dome with a low neck section. The adjoining wide neck protection is flat and curved downwards protruding backwards. On the canopy there is a cross bar made of two metal sheets, which allows a blow to slide from above as reinforcing protection for the helmet. The bracket, which runs over the crown line, starts at the forehead and ends in the neck area. It is attached to the front and rear ends with a large conical bronze rivet . Another smaller ridge runs from the right to the left side of the helmet and crosses the other ridge at the apex. The ends of the comb are soldered to the dome. The ear region is cut wide and the edges are rounded to protect the ears from injury. On the right and left sides, wide cheek flaps are attached with the help of hinges . To fasten the helmet to the wearer's head, a leather strap was pushed through fastening rings under the neck protection and then crossed to the front through the fastening eyes at the lower end of the cheek flaps and finally tied. This three-point suspension was a typical feature of all Weisenau helmets and prevented the helmet from slipping or being displaced.
This type of helmet is considered a rather rare find and is valued differently in science. While the Roman weapons expert H. Russell Robinson saw the Niederbieber as a riding helmet, Marcus Junkelmann saw it as an infantry helmet . Today, however, it is mostly assumed that the Niederbieber helmet was used by both infantry and cavalry. In addition to the models from Rainau-Buch and Niederbieber, the Niedermörmter type is also one of the late models of the Weisenau helmet. The heavily armored helmets of the Niederbieber type with their pronounced cheek flaps that overlap in the chin area were created in the last quarter of the 2nd century and were used until the introduction of the new late antique helmet shapes, which with the Spangen helmets of the Der-el-Medineh type from around 270 AD. Appeared in the finds, worn.
Manufacturing
Since the discovery of a bronze helmet of the Niederbieber type, which apparently ended up as a semi-finished product in a well in the camp village of Rainau-Buch , research may also have gained knowledge of the course of a manufacturing process. This bronze helmet is missing various individual parts that would have had to be applied in further work steps. For example, the carrying handle on the wide, sloping neck shield, for which the two eyelets were already attached, the crossed brass bracket on the dome and the very pronounced, wide-spreading horizontal front ledge that tapers towards the center of the forehead in the Niederbieber type. The holes in the calotte necessary for attaching these individual parts were also not yet available. However, it was not possible to locate a corresponding manufacture in Rainau-Buch. However, this interpretation is not undisputed. As the excavation manager in Rainau-Buch, Dieter Planck , emphasized, in his opinion the helmet showed signs of wear on the dome.
literature
- Johannes Hoops (Hrsg.): Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde. Volume 14: Harp and Lyre - Hludana-Hlǫðyn. 2nd, completely revised and greatly expanded edition. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-11-016423-X , p. 325.
- Martin Kemkes , Jörg Scheuerbrandt , Nina Willburger : On the edge of the empire. The Limes - Rome's border to the barbarians (= Württembergisches Landesmuseum Stuttgart. Guide and inventory catalogs. Archaeological collections. Vol. 7). Württembergisches Landesmuseum et al., Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-7995-3400-8 , p. 284.
Web links
Remarks
- ↑ Martin Kemkes , Jörg Scheuerbrandt , Nina Willburger : At the edge of the empire. The Limes, Rome's border with the barbarians. Thorbecke, Ostfildern 2006, ISBN 978-3-7995-3401-7 , Chapter 5: Exercitus Romanus - The Roman Army: Equipment and Armament , pp. 77–116; here: p. 84.
- ↑ Marcus Junkelmann : The riders of Rome, Part III. Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 1992, ISBN 3-8053-1288-1 , p. 190.
- ↑ Marcus Junkelmann: The riders of Rome, Part III. Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 1992, ISBN 3-8053-1288-1 , pp. 200f.
- ↑ a b Markus Gschwind : Bronze caster on the Raetian Limes. To supply auxiliary units of the Middle Imperial period with military equipment. In: Germania. Bulletin of the Roman-Germanic Commission of the German Archaeological Institute. Year 75/2, Mainz 1997, ISSN 0016-8874 , p. 615.