The Illyrian type helmet (or Greco-Illyrian type helmet) is a style of

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 metalloid ...

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 protecti ...

, which in its later variations covered the entire head and neck, and was open-faced in all of its forms.. It originated in

Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...

ancient Greece Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically r ...

, and was developed during the 8th and 7th centuries BC (700–640 BC).. Accurate representations on Corinthian vases are sufficient to indicate that the Illyrian type helmet was developed before 600 BC.. The helmet is named today as ''Illyrian type'' for convenience due to many initial archaeological discoveries coming from the region of

Illyria In classical and late antiquity, Illyria (; , ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; , ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyrians. The Ancient Gree ...

Archaeology

According to archaeological evidence, the Illyrian type helmet evolved from the Kegelhelm (or Kegel type) of the Archaic Period found in Argos. The earliest Illyrian type helmets were developed in a workshop located in the northwestern Peloponnese (possibly Olympia), although the first Type II Illyrian helmets were created in

Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...

ian workshops. The first Type III helmets were created in workshops situated somewhere on the Illyrian coast of the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

. The Illyrian type helmet did not obstruct the wearer's critical senses of

vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...

though the first two varieties hampered

hearing Hearing, or auditory perception, is the ability to perceive sounds through an organ, such as an ear, by detecting vibrations as periodic changes in the pressure of a surrounding medium. The academic field concerned with hearing is auditory sci ...

. There were four types of these helmets and all were open faced: *Type I (c. 700–640 BC) left the neck unprotected and hampered hearing. *Type II (c. 600 BC) offered neck protection and again hampered hearing. *Type III (c. 550 BC) offered neck protection and allowed better hearing. *Type IV (c. 500 BC) was similar to Type III but hearing was not impaired at all. The Illyrian type helmet was used by the

ancient Greeks Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically re ...

Etruscans The Etruscan civilization ( ) was an ancient civilization created by the Etruscans, a people who inhabited Etruria in List of ancient peoples of Italy, ancient Italy, with a common language and culture, and formed a federation of city-states. Af ...

Scythians The Scythians ( or ) or Scyths (, but note Scytho- () in composition) and sometimes also referred to as the Pontic Scythians, were an Ancient Iranian peoples, ancient Eastern Iranian languages, Eastern Iranian peoples, Iranian Eurasian noma ...

, and became popular with the

Illyrians The Illyrians (, ; ) were a group of Indo-European languages, Indo-European-speaking people who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. They constituted one of the three main Paleo-Balkan languages, Paleo-Balkan populations, alon ...

who later adopted it. A variety of the helm had also spread to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

based on its appearance on ivory reliefs and on a silver bowl at the "Bernardini" tomb at Praeneste. The helmet became obsolete in most parts of Greece in the early 5th century BC. Its use in

had ended by the 4th century BC..

Gallery

File:Griechische Helme1.JPG, Types of

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

helmets; top line, third from the left: Illyrian type helmet. Antikensammlung in

Altes Museum The Altes Museum (English: ''Old Museum'') is a List of World Heritage Sites in Germany, listed building on the Museum Island in the Mitte (locality), historic centre of Berlin, Germany. Built between 1825 and 1830 by order of King Frederick Will ...

, Berlin. File:Illyrian and Corinthian.jpg, Illyrian type helmet (left) juxtaposed to a Corinthian type helmet (right). File:About c.400 BC Greek Illyrian helm from Budva Montenegro.png, Illyrian type helmet from

Budva Budva (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Будва, or ) is a town in the Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro. It had 27,445 inhabitants as of 2023, and is the centre of Budva Municipality. The coastal area around Budva, called the Budv ...

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

(c. 4th century BC). File:Illyrian-Greek helmet from Montenegro - Budva -4th cBC.png, Illyrian type helmet from Budva, Montenegro (4th century BC). File:Illyrian-Greek helmet from Montenegro -Klicevo -Upper Bronze Age.png, Illyrian type helmet from Kličevo, Montenegro (Upper Bronze Age). File:Coif greco iliric 27790 IMG 1574.JPG, Illyrian type helmet from Timis, Romania with horseman and six rose-petal decorations (6th–4th century BC).

References

Notes

Citations

Sources

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External links

* {{Illyrians Ancient Greek helmets Ancient Peloponnese Military history of ancient Corinth Archaic Greece Illyrian warfare