By John Hilde
Ancient Greek war helmets are some of the most recognizable in the historic war machines. The term "Greek helmets" is quite broad. There is really no one helmet that signifies the Greek culture. Trojan helmets, Spartan helmets, and Corinthian helmets are all under the heading of Greek helmets. In the following paragraphs, you will learn a little bit about each.
Some of the most popular helmets for collectors and reenactments are the Trojan war helmet. There are several different designs that are sold in stores, but they are very similar. The biggest difference between them is the color of the helmet and plume itself. For example, you'll find Trojan helmets in silver, black, brass, and bronze. In fact, one even comes in a war paint camouflage color. The plumes will come in a variety of orange, red, and black. If you are looking for the most historical Trojan helmet, the black and bronze were the most common in ancient days. This example of a helmet is found in the movie "Troy." The Trojan helmets in the movie have the signature curving cheek guard and it is made of bronze to give it that brownish color. That in combination with a black or red plume will finish up your costume nicely.
Spartan helmets are also a very popular sort of helmet. Recently made famous in the movie "300", these helmets come in two basic designs. The first is a plain silver (made of iron and steel) helmet in a basic design. No plume is attached. This was worn by the common Spartan foot soldiers who did the brunt of the fighting. Some of the elite soldiers or leaders of the Spartans wore a helmet with a red plume. This helmet retained the same design as the foot soldier helmet except that it had a large plume with a tail end. This was to increase the apparent height of the soldier and add to the intimidation factor.
Corinthian helmets had a very similar design to Spartan helmets in terms of the "face" of the helmet. Where they differ is that the frontal cheek guards a bit longer than the Spartan helmets. Also, these Greek helmets are usually made of brass or a black metal. These also had a plume often made of horse hair, and the crest holding the plume was made out of a quality leather and wood. Today's replicas will be made with a synthetic hair or more expensive ones will come with real horse hair.
To complement your Greek helmet you may want to consider adding a full set of Greek armor to your collection. The Royal Greek Muscle Cuirass is a nice complement to many Greek helmets, and it usually includes a belt to complete a full costume. Greek armor often had "defined muscle" on the abs and chest. This further intimated the enemy with the illusion that all the soldiers were bursting with strength. Once you get these items for collection they will make a great display on your wall or on a simple stand.
John Hilde is a historical armor and weapons collector. He also owns his own online retail store that sells these collectibles for costumes, plays, and reenactments. To learn more about Greek helmets go to http://www.armorvenue.com.
Source:www.isnare.com |
