In the ancient world, very few people were truly secular. The spiritual world was everywhere, and that included a fear of harmful spirits. You can see remnants of this in ancient architecture that contains protection symbols and the like. You can also see it in masks and combat helmets.
There is a tight link between the two. Some masks were also meant to protect, just like helmets. This type of protection was spiritual. Masks, just like helmets, could also intimidate. Sometimes, these types of headcover were meant to fend off both spiritual and physical offenders alike. In this article, we will be taking an up-close look at 7 ancient helmets. We will observe how similar they are to a ceremonial mask, and examine each helmet's archeological, cultural, and historical background.
This one has a strange futuristic style to it, would you agree? The exact origins of the helmet are unknown, but historians believe it was a gift sent to the king from the Roman Emperor Maximilian I in 1514 AD.
