The Armour Archive

Exciting news from Serbia! During the archaeological excavations of Branicevo a phrygian shaped helmet was found in the remains of a burned late 12-early 13th century house, with wooden fragments around it, possibly from a box. However, during the restoration of helmet, another helmet was found inside of a helmet!
You can find an article about the find in our files called:
"A Note on New Archaeological Exploration (finds from Branicevo)"

Among the mentioned and the multitude of other discovered
artefacts, two helmets demand special attention.
Found stacked one into the other on the house
floor in a thick layer of soot, charred wood and straw,
they had very likely been put away into a chest (fig.
58). Both are made of iron and have an elongated conical
form with a somewhat pronounced rounded front;
one of them still has three bronze rings used to fix the
neck protector. Typologically, they correspond to conical
helmets without a nosepiece,²⁰ although these from
Braničevo are taller and more pointed, which makes
them more like Phrygian caps, very similar to those
depicted on the Bayeux tapestry (1066–1082).²¹

House 4 was built during the reign of John I Komnenos,
probably at the end of the third decade of the 12th century
– an estimation made by analysing John II and
Manuel I Komnenos coins found on the floor. The fire
that damaged the house can be tied to the events following
the death of Manuel I Komnenos (1180), and
the 1182–83 ensuing conflicts.²² The layers of debris
combined with the house burnt in the fire imply the
simultaneous destruction of the house and the western
defence wall. Friesach coins minted between 1170 and
1200 (Eriacensis, Friesach) and later emissions by King
Bélla III, in 1172–1196, mark the end of this prosperous
phase and the demolition of the structure.