The Phrygian helmet, also known as the Thracian helmet,[.]
Characteristics
The various names given to this type of helmet are derived from its shape, in particular the high and forward inclined apex, in which it resembles the soft
Phrygian cap (of textile or of leather, sometimes retaining the fur) habitually worn by
Phrygians and
Thracians peoples. These geographical names do not refer to the origins of the helmet itself and are a modern naming convention. The helmet was developed after the Greeks became familiar with the Thracian cap. The shape of the
Boeotian helmet was also based on a type of soft hat, in this case the Greek
petasos, a brimmed hat.
Like the vast majority of helmets of Greek origin, Thracian and Phrygian helmets were made of bronze. The skull of the helmet was usually raised from a single sheet of bronze, though the forward-pointing apex was sometimes made separately and riveted to the skull. The skull was often drawn out into a peak at the front, this shaded the wearer's eyes and offered protection to the upper part of the face from downward blows. The face was further protected by large cheekpieces, made separately from the skullpiece. Sometimes these cheekpieces were so large that they met in the centre leaving a gap for the nose and eyes. When constructed in this manner they would have embossed and engraved decoration to mimic a beard and moustache.
[.]
Use
The Phrygian helmet was worn by Macedonian cavalry in King Philip's day, but his son, Alexander, is said to have preferred the open-faced Boeotian helmet for his cavalry, as recommended by
Xenophon.
[.] The royal burial in the
Vergina Tomb contained a helmet which was a variation on the Phrygian type, exceptionally made of iron, this would support its use by cavalry. The Phrygian helmet is prominently worn in representations of the infantry of Alexander the Great's army, such on the contemporary Alexander sarcophagus.
[.] The Phrygian helmet was in prominent use at the end of Greece's
Classical Greece and into the Hellenistic period, replacing the earlier 'Corinthian' type from the 5th century BC.
[The naming conventions and typology of ancient helmets are largely of modern origin and do not reflect contemporary usage ()][.]
Gallery
File:Pletena helmet.jpg|Thracian helmet from the village of Pletena, unusually possessing a nasal instead of the typical peak.
File:National History Museum, Sofia, Bulgaria 20090405 075.JPG|Thracian helmet with large cheekpieces, National History Muesum of Bulgaria
File:Macedonian Army Pezetairos.jpg|Ancient depiction on the Alexander Sarcophagus of a Macedonian infantryman (right) equipped with a typical Phrygian/Thracian helmet with a peak.
File:Elmo di tipo frigio e corazza, da italia meridionale, 350-300 ac. ca, coll. privata di firenze 04.JPG|Helmet found in southern Italy, 4th century BC combining elements of the Phrygian and Attic types.
File:Elmo frigio (350-300 ac.), corazza anatomica (340-310 ac.) e schinieri (350-300 ac.) 02.jpg|Phrygian/Attic Helmet with a comb from southern Italy (350 BC-300 BC)
File:Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak.jpg|Horse herdsman from the Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak, 4th century BC
Notes
Citations
Sources
