Phoenix Ancient Art S.A.

The helmet, whose state of preservation is remarkable, is one of the most complete examples of this type currently known: it is composed of several thin bronze and iron sheets that were hammered and riveted. At the back, it has an iron plate, fixed to the inside; the rivets are still in place. The paragnatides (cheek protectors) are attached with hinges at the temples; despite a few holes, the appliqué riveted just below the bent peak of the headgear is in very good condition.

As is typical, the pointed, high shape of the Phrygian cap, which was usually made of leather, was reproduced here by a Thracian gunsmith as a warrior’s helmet: the headgear has paragnatides, finely chiseled in order to reproduce half of a human face (the outline of a jaw, a carefully trimmed beard, a mustache with small spiral curls, and the elliptical contour of a mouth with modeled lips). There is a back plate for the protection of the neck and a narrow peak to shelter the upper face and the eyes.

On the front of the helmet, above an incised triangular element whose form recalls a small pediment, is an ornament in the shape of a winged youth, dressed only in a coat, which flaps in the wind. He runs to the right and holds a bottle (or a small leather bag?) in his raised left hand. Despite the bold attitude of this figure, seen in three-quarter view, is delicately modeled with precise proportions. The figure's movements in space are perfectly natural, in spite of the helmet rounded wall on which he runs,. The youth’s identity is unclear, especially when we consider that the object was intended for an audience which was not exclusively Greek. From an iconographic point of view, the man resembles Eros, the Greek god of love, whose presence is attested during this period on one of the silver jugs from the famous Thracian treasure of Borovo; but his attitude (fast race or flight, coat flapping in the wind) also refers to a winged genius or to the personification of a wind, like Boreas (a personification of the north wind that Athenians considered as a native of Thrace) or Zephyrus.

Such helmets mostly originate from Thrace, though they are not unknown in the rest of the Greek world. Among the best parallels, it’s necessary to note a few examples without paragnatides as well as a piece recently found in Pletena (Sofia Museum), which is decorated with silver rosettes and dotted lines. The incomplete example from Kovachevitsa (Sofia Museum), whose form is less elaborated but whose cheeks guards’ workmanship is so similar that one could wonder if both helmets were not produced in the same place. In Thracian iconography, mythological figures also wear such helmets.

The realism and functionality of this piece, which is primarily a weapon and should therefore be practical and impress opponents by its size and achievement, are perfectly balanced by the decorative elements whose rendering is of the highest artistic level.

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