The Armour Archive

You may or may not have seen this. It's from the November/December 1997 edition of Archeology Magazine.

http://www.archaeology.org/9711/newsbriefs/saxon.html

There's only one picture in the web article but I suspect there was more in the printed version.

Regards,
Raibeart

[This message has been edited by Raibeart (edited 06-09-2001).]

That's too cool! That's what I was looking for, a decent early-period IRON helm with the boar crest, but not a 4th C. ridge helm, or a king's burial helm. Thanks for the link.

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Virtus vincit invidiam
"Virtue overcometh envy"

Check out this web site for a much more detail look at these early helms. The one you posted is know as the Pioneer Helmet.
-Cad

http://www.angelcynn.org.uk/history.html


http://www.angelcynn.org.uk/inline_graphics/warfare/pion-h01.jpg

This "Pioneer" helm seems very similar to the later "Coppergate" helm. Very cool pics and articles. Thanks for sharing!

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They call me Ned. It's medievally short for Edward (and it's my real name)

Well both the coppergate and pioneer helm are 7th century saxon helms.

Both are 'ridge helms', although the coppergate has way more decoration on it.

There hasn't been as much of a write-up about this helm as there was about the coppergate, but most of info on the coppergate is from a single archeologist, Dominic Tweedle. I guess no one has taken a liking to this helm.

Brandr hinn rusli

i would love to see the pioneer, bently grange northhampton, sutton hoo, burgh castle as well as the vendal/valsgarde find get the attention they deserve, i know there is not as much to examine on some of the more fragmentary finds but id take any and as much info possible on these and similar items.

AB/WMA

WMA - Actually, the Sutton Hoo helmet has had a fair bit written on it. The other helmets you mentioned recieved some attention in Tweedle's Coppergate book, but alas, never in as much detail as the Coppergate helm.

Now, which of us is going to pick up an Art History/Archaeology degree and base his/her career on writing up these neglected helms? Get to it!

Jim

your right the sutton hoo helf does have some decent information on it, as does the entire grave its self, i wish it went into as much detail as Tweedles book.
I realy love the fact that Tweedles book examines other helm even though its mostly for comparisons.
What im wondering about is in many miscilaneous books there are images of vendal/valsgarde helms, and its obvious by the style/color/quality/photo process that teh pics were possibly from u study on all of the helms, it makes me wonder if there is some older book covering all these helms that i just dont know about.

If anyone knows about any older books that cover these helmets in any amount of detail, please post the information!

Honestly, I think Tweedle either spoiled us with the Coppergate book, or (and I hope this is the case) he's setting a new standard for armour find write-ups. I have never seen another book on any piece of armour from any period as detailed as Tweedle's (full size fold-out line drawings, an analysis of how the thing was put together, etc.). Hopefully other detailed studies like this will be forthcoming for other helms. OTOH, the York Archaeological Trust has a long tradition of putting out outstanding books, and the Coppergate helmet just happened to fall into their catchment area. I imagine it's one of their best sellers, though - it seems to drop out of and into print on a fairly regular basis.

Jim