Byzantine Armor - Helmets

So far, we've looked at body armor and limb armor. Let's top off our armor discussion with a look at helmets.

As you can see, there were a plethora of different helmet designs.

We are going to focus on two of the most common - the ridge helmet and the spangenhelm.

Ridge helm (left) vs spangenhelm.

There are differences in construction of these two types of helms, but we can simply differentiate them by their appearance. As you can see above, the ridge helm is a bowl shape while the spangenhelm is more conical.

Notice a couple more features (or lack of features) of these helms. While western European helms often featured cheek plates (during early Byzantine days), oculars or nasal bars (mid Empire), or even full face protection (later Empire), these were often lacking in Byzantine infantry helms. Instead, many Byzantine helms featured some kind of protection for the neck. This protection could take the form of padded or scale armor, or a chainmail aventail.

If we focus on the helmet without the neck protection, there are plenty of viable options at Medieval Collectibles.

• Ready for Battle Helmet ($47) - it appears to be a one-piece construction, in which case it would not be a true spangenhelm. However, it looks the part
• Thorsten Steel Spangenhelm ($64)
• Dietrich Steel Spangenhelm ($78) - looks more like a ridge helm

Finding a proper helm with an aventail is a bit more difficult, especially if you do not want an ocular or nasal. While it appears Middle Eastern, the Arlan Steel Helmet is a design used by Byzantines and it has an aventail without other accoutrements. Be prepared for sticker shock, though.

If you would like something lighter than metal, your best bet is probably plastic. Companies have begun making plastic LARP armor that will work for us. For example, Norton and Wyrmwick both make nice spangenhelm-style helms. I don't recommend leather; either it doesn't look right or is far more expensive than either metal or plastic.

Even though the Byzantines are technically Roman, I recommend staying away from the "Roman" helmets sold online. Those tend to be early Imperial helmets from before Byzantine times.

Neck protection is not strictly necessary so it may be easier to dispense with it. If you must have it, you could get a separate coif. Medieval Collections offers both chain and padded.

And remember, a helmet is also not a requirement. They just look snazzy and were commonly worn by the soldiers of the Empire.

NEXT - Heavy Infantry Weapons and Shields

Sources:

• Sources cited in Part 1