Still have some way to go on this page, please check back to see my progress.
The Silk Road Designs Armoury
Contact the Armoury at
normlaw@yahoo.com
Return to Introduction Page . . . View Other Pages
Copyright and Authoring information
Rigid Domes
Further Information on Helmets
A fairly large variety of specific forms of helmet were used in the areas under discussion. To ease discussion, I have borrowed a Russian classification system whereby the styles of helmet are broken down into four categories based on the shape of the dome:
- Shishak - This form may be likened to the dome of a Russian church, often called an "Onion Dome". The shape begins with a hemisphere, which abruptly increases the angle of curve as it comes to the center, where it quickly rises to a point.
- Round - In its ideal, this helmet dome is shaped as a half-sphere. However, there is actually a wide variety of specific shapes which may fit this general description.
- Kolpak - A straight cone - with no curving in profile.
- Conical - This is a cone with a rounded profile.
Round Helmet
When the first armourers in the unknown depths of antiquity began to harden or reinforce simple leather caps, the shape used for the helmet was naturally the basic shape of the head. This continued, throughout the world to this day.
Some variation on the essentially round dome is historically to be found almost everywhere. It was used by ancient Egyptians, classical Greeks and Romans, and medieval warriors throughout the world. In Japan, the vast majority of helmets may be generally classified as "round", however the Japanese have a distinct name for each slight variation (like whether there is some flattness at the top, towards the front or back, whether the shape is somewhat less than a half sphere, more like a half of an egg-shape, etc.). The majority of modern helmets, from military, to motorcycling, to sports types, have round domes.
In the world of the Steppes nomads, the round helmet dome came in a wide (almost inexhaustable) variety of combinations with the other features. It is likely that all of the illustrated helmets have been also found with a round dome rather than the dome shown. The helmet on the right has a sliding nasal and a series of bands suspended from the dome to protect both the back and sides of the head. The lames are attached on hidden leather straps to allow flexibility. In the illustration, a separate Maile cap is worn underneath the helmet. The one on the left has ear and back plates, a "bill" visor and a sliding nasal. The ear plates are made of four sections. Ear plates of this type were either rigid or each piece was riveted separately to a leather backing, so that the plates were flexible. The back plate is in one piece and is attached to the dome by Turkish outside hinges.
Conical Helmet
The conical dome, most easily described as almost a round dome that rises gradually to a point is almost as widely distributed as the round dome and almost as varied in detail.
The helmet at the left is based on a monumental relief of approximately the 8th century CE found in Armenia. The helmet itself is a one-piece structure with the back and sides extended down from the dome to extend coverage at the back of the head and cover the ears of the wearer. It seems very similar to a 14th century European Bascinet. The Maile worn with it seems to be a separate cap rather than a curtain. There seem to be very few helmets of this Bascinet-type, one-piece dome-back-and-sides design in use in the East. Generally, the dome was separate from any back and side protection that the helmet would provide.
A far more common type of helmet is that illustrated at the right. The connical dome is here supplemented by oculars and a full aventail. This design was common in Russia and among the Eurasian nomadic peoples at around the same time as a similar helmet (though commonly with a round dome) was popular among the Nordic peoples of Western Europe.
Shishak
As I have attempted to describe above, the "shishak" shape begins as a round dome. Rather than gradually continuing to its completion, there is a sharp break at some point close to the center, where the curve changes to rise sharply to a point. This is fairly similar to the "Onion Dome" shape of a Russian church dome (I fear that my attempt at description is a sore failure and direct the reader to the illustrations).
Helmets of this shape have been used in the East since time immemorial. A 9th century BCE helmet from Assyria (recently shown by the Metropolitan Musseum in a brief show of Assyrian artifacts) is virtually identical to 16th century Russian and Turkish shishaks.
The helmet on the right is of the standard Shishak type found from ancient Assyria to late-medieval Russia (though the attachments are distinct to the medieval type). The helmet on the left is a distinctive type of Shishak, with a very deep dome and a much more pronounced curve then the normal, called by European scholars a "Turban Helmet". This seems to have developed from the early Turkish helmet shown at the top of this article and was used in its complete form by the 16th century. All Turban Helmets seem to have the same attachments as that illustrated -- a sliding nasal, a full-face aventail, and a hook to hold the aventail away from the face when not in battle.
Kolpak
This helmet differs from the others in that its profile does not form any part of a circle. The main part is a simple, straight cone -- similar to a "Dunce cap".
This helmet shape was worn by the Russians, Turks, and the various nomadic peoples of Central Asia (prior to the Mongols). It does not seem to have been in use by most of the Persian or Chinese influenced peoples.
The helmet illustrated at the left is a Kipchak helmet. It is a rather massive helmet with, like the Armenian helmet above, one-piece back and ear protection similar to a western Bascinet. It has a full face visor in the shape of a face. This mask is hinged at the front and may be removable. In contrast to the Armenian helmet, this one is based on an actual artifact.
In Russia the Kolpak helmets tended to be simple domes sometimes with the addition of a rim but never including ear or back plates (in the illustration at the right it is worn over a separate cap of Maile). The few Turkish Kolpak domes tend to include ear and back pieces, as well as the movable nasals and visors common to other Turkish helmets.
Further Information on Helmets
.
Contact the Armoury at
normlaw@yahoo.com
Go to Next Page
[Soft Helmets]
.
Articles and Illustrations by Norman J. Finkelshteyn.
Web Site designed and implemented by Silk Road Designs.
Contact us at
normlaw@yahoo.com
Copyright Norman J. Finkelshteyn 1997 -- All articles and illustrations at this web site are Copyright protected material. Use of these articles and illustrations is subject to appropriate restrictions under United States, International, and local Law.