Helm for Germanic Warrior circa 4 CE
Moderator: Glen K
Helm for Germanic Warrior circa 4 CE
I'm thinking of putting together a Germanic rig for SCA combat for around the time of the Battle of Teutoburg Forest. My understanding that the Germans of this time eschewed armor, so I was wondering if the Roman Coolus helm would be period appropriate; as in, "Hey check out the shiny cap I just took off some Roman that I ambushed last weekend!" I also think it would treat my arthritis better than the Imperial Gallic would. Thanks in advance!
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Matthew Amt
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Re: Helm for Germanic Warrior circa 4 CE
Ave!
Well, it's a surprisingly murky era. For starters, just to clarify, the Teutoberg Forest disaster was 9 AD, so there wouldn't be much loot floating around before then. Plus, most of the equipment captured there seems to have been sacrificed in water or bogs or sacred groves, standard procedure, really, so we don't know how much was actually kept and used by the victors. On the other hand, Germans had been serving as auxiliaries with the Romans for a good 50 years, and military equipment was pretty readily available from the Romans or the Gauls by regular trade (if you had the money for it!). (Though by this time the Gauls are only making Roman stuff.) I wouldn't say the Germans "eschewed" armor--they simply didn't have much!
It's a little early for most of the Imperial-Gallic helmet types, but they aren't going to weigh signficantly more than the Coolus or Montefortino styles. Anything you come up with for SCA use is going to be heavier than a 2 to 3-pound original Roman helmet anyway!
I'm not even sure if we've established what sorts of shields the Germans were using at that time. There are numerous grave finds from northern Germany and Denmark of conical shield bosses, but those may all be rather later. Oblong shields anywhere from 2 to 4 feet tall with barleycorn or spine bosses of wood may be more appropriate.
I hope that helps some!
Matthew
Well, it's a surprisingly murky era. For starters, just to clarify, the Teutoberg Forest disaster was 9 AD, so there wouldn't be much loot floating around before then. Plus, most of the equipment captured there seems to have been sacrificed in water or bogs or sacred groves, standard procedure, really, so we don't know how much was actually kept and used by the victors. On the other hand, Germans had been serving as auxiliaries with the Romans for a good 50 years, and military equipment was pretty readily available from the Romans or the Gauls by regular trade (if you had the money for it!). (Though by this time the Gauls are only making Roman stuff.) I wouldn't say the Germans "eschewed" armor--they simply didn't have much!
It's a little early for most of the Imperial-Gallic helmet types, but they aren't going to weigh signficantly more than the Coolus or Montefortino styles. Anything you come up with for SCA use is going to be heavier than a 2 to 3-pound original Roman helmet anyway!
I'm not even sure if we've established what sorts of shields the Germans were using at that time. There are numerous grave finds from northern Germany and Denmark of conical shield bosses, but those may all be rather later. Oblong shields anywhere from 2 to 4 feet tall with barleycorn or spine bosses of wood may be more appropriate.
I hope that helps some!
Matthew
Re: Helm for Germanic Warrior circa 4 CE
There have been finds from the first century of Roman helms that were deliberately altered. Presumably altered by Germanic auxiliary and enemy combatants. The first one that comes to mind is a helm from Gelduba/Krefeld that is thought to have been one of the Weisenau imperial gallic types that had been heavily modified to suit local tribal tastes. It is dated to the Batavian rebellion which is about 60 years after Varus got smacked down in the Teutoburgwald. There are earlier examples but they were in worse condition than one I mention.
consult the following books for more detailed information. Brushing up on your German might help for a couple of them.
Romische Kampf- Und Turnierrustungen. Hermann Born; Marcus Junkelmann. ISBN 9783805316682
Germanische Herrscher. Von Arminius bis Theoderich. Frank Ausbuttel. ISBN 978-3-89678-603-6
The armour of imperial Rome H. Russell Robinson. ISBN 978-0853682196
Ethnic Identity and Imperial Power: The Batavians in the Early Roman Empire (Amsterdam University Press - Amsterdam Archaeological Studies) Nico Roymans. ISBN 978-9053567050
consult the following books for more detailed information. Brushing up on your German might help for a couple of them.
Romische Kampf- Und Turnierrustungen. Hermann Born; Marcus Junkelmann. ISBN 9783805316682
Germanische Herrscher. Von Arminius bis Theoderich. Frank Ausbuttel. ISBN 978-3-89678-603-6
The armour of imperial Rome H. Russell Robinson. ISBN 978-0853682196
Ethnic Identity and Imperial Power: The Batavians in the Early Roman Empire (Amsterdam University Press - Amsterdam Archaeological Studies) Nico Roymans. ISBN 978-9053567050
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Chris Knight
Chris Knight
Re: Helm for Germanic Warrior circa 9 CE
Awesome! Thanks to both of you!