The Coolus helmet (named for

Coolus Coolus () is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. It gave its name to the Coolus helmet The Coolus helmet (named for Coolus, France) was a type of ancient Celtic and Roman helmet. It was typically made in bronze or ...

, France) was a type of ancient

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foo ...

and

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...

. It was typically made in

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids suc ...

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wi ...

and, like the Montefortino type with which it co-existed, was a descendant of Celtic helmet types. The explanation of the choice to use bronze can be attributed to the type of warfare that the helmet was used for; also the cultural affinities have influence on why the helmet was made the way that it was. Within a long process of evolution, Roman military armor for the head developed from early pre-Roman helmets. Rome itself had no proper tradition of such objects, as most of the soldiers of the Early Republic made use of helmets produced by the Etruscans, whose craftsmen were known for their ability to make vessels. The

Canterbury helmet The Canterbury Helmet is an Iron Age helmet found in a field near Canterbury, Kent, England, in December 2012. Made of bronze, it is one of only a few helmets dating from the Iron Age to ever have been found in Britain. The helmet currently resid ...

from England is an example. It was fairly plain, except for some ridges or raised panels on the cheekpieces. It was globular or hemispherical in shape (some were spun on a

lathe A lathe () is a machine tool that rotates a workpiece about an axis of rotation to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling, deformation, facing, and turning, with tools that are applied to the workpiece ...

rather than hammered to shape) with a turned or cast soldered- or riveted-on crest knob. The Coolus helmet has become a well known and recognizable part of historical warfare. An example of this is the well known Thames Coolus helmet. This helmet was dug out of the River Thames in England; the helmet has been in the British Museum since 1950. The Coolus was replaced by the

Imperial helmet The Imperial helmet-type was a type of helmet worn by Roman legionaries. Prior to the Empire, Roman Republican soldiers often provided their own equipment, which was passed down from father to son. Thus, a variety of equipment, from different ...

type, a more developed form also derived from a Celtic original.

Sources

Legio II AugustaLegio XXIV
*Feugère, Michel (2015), "Helmet", ''The Encyclopedia of the Roman Army'', American Cancer Society, pp. 455–491 * *

References

Ancient Roman helmets {{armour-stub