Helmet; Sassanid, 6th century AD. Bronze.

Helmet: Sassanid culture, 6th century BC.
Bronze.
The brown patina of the bronze is in excellent condition. It has lost some of its decorative balls and has slight restored cracks. Even so, it is not fragmented.
Provenance: Private collection, London. Previously in a private collection in Germany, acquired in the 1960s.
Measurements: 20.5 cm x 21 cm.
PUBLISHING: Farrokh, K., Karamian, Gh., Kubic, A., & Oshterinani, M.T. An
Examination of Parthian and Sasanian Military Helmets. In "Crowns, hats,
turbans and helmets: Headgear in Iran History. Volume 1: Pre-Islamic Period. Siedlece-Tehran. 2017. p. 154. Fig. 24.
EXHIBITIONS: FERIARTE (2019).
The present Sassanid helmet is an example of great rarity in this respect, of which only a few are known. Some similarities exist in several collections such as the British Museum, London (22498) and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (M.76.174.149), the latter of which retains the silvered panels that would originally have adorned the slender petal-shaped recesses in the present lot. These silver panels appear to imitate textiles, with designs resembling woven threads; it has been suggested that textile emblems denoting the tribe or regiment to which the wearer belonged may have been attached to these panels.
The present helmet corresponds to the so-called 'Spangenhelm' typology, a conical helmet that appears as early as the 3rd century AD in the steppe of northern Iran, possibly created for Sarmatian horsemen. The helmet is technically simple to make and consists of a horizontal band of beaten bronze that forms the base of the helmet. It is called 'Spangenhelm' in German specialist literature, as it refers to the configuration of the helmet: two bands or brackets (Spangen in German) intersect like axes to form the convex shell. The rest of the helmet (-helm) is completed by oval plates which, like segments, close the helmet in segments. All the pieces are joined together by spherical rivets that not only fulfil their structural function, but also provide a play of volume and chiaroscuro that make the helmet a beautiful testimony to the Sassanid forge and reminiscent of the pearlescent decoration of luxurious Byzantine crowns. Similar helmets are on display in the British Museum (nos. 22497 and 22498) although their state of preservation is not optimal.

The helmet is adapted to repel attacks from above, as the shape of the helmet means that the sword or spear is not locked, but slides down the sides. Due to the presence of restored dent marks and cracks, it is possible that this helmet was used in battle. In some cases, models have been preserved with a nose (nosecap) or cheek (cheek-piece) and neck (such as the one preserved in the Museum of Cetinska Krajina Region in Croatia). In addition, the helmet would have had an inner leather or linen lining which would have facilitated its use and the absorption of sweat, as well as partially cushioning the force of the blows received. Although there were different types of helmets among the Sassanids, the conical helmet is reminiscent of the shape of the headdress used to represent the nobles in the 6th century AD, known as the kulah.
This type of Sassanid helmet was widespread among the Germanic peoples, as can be seen in the reliefs of the Trajan Column (AD 113) and in the various adaptations in the late Roman and Byzantine periods (such as an example from Trévoux, France, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York). The rise of the Sassanid army is generally attributed to King Ardacher I (226-41), the founder of an empire which, together with the Roman and Byzantine empires, shaped the geopolitics of Eurasia for 400 years. Ardacher reorganised the Achaemenid army and adopted Parthian cavalry, using new weapons and siege strategies.