Ancient Roman military masks on Wikimedia Commons



Ancient Roman military masks on Wikimedia Commons.
If any of you have visited the museum at Kalkriese, you have probably seen one of its most important artifacts, a once-silvered mask worn by either a Roman cavalryman or possibly a standard bearer. I found a discussion thread up on Reddit in which noted historian Adrian Goldsworthy pointed out, "For a long time, these helmets were designated as "parade helmets" by historians and archaeologists, and it was assumed that they would not be used in battle. They seemed too ostentatious and impractical.
Then we found the battlefield at the Teutoburger Wald and discovered a masked helmet among the debris. A Roman tombstone in Germany even seems to depict an infantry signifer (standard bearer) wearing such a helmet.
Add in the fact that we've found almost as many of these "parade" helmets as we have "normal" helmets, and it seems quite possible to me that these masked helmets would sometimes be used in battle. It certainly makes sense for standard bearers and such to do so, since they have a more symbolic and inspirational battlefield role anyway, and the masks fit in with the animal hides and polished scale armour such men also tended to wear.
Even for ordinary soldiers it is not out of the question: Splendour and spectacular display were an important part of ancient warfare. Richly decorated shields, polished and ornamented armour, helmet plumes and crests were all important parts of warfare. The goal was both to inspire and encourage your fellow soldiers, and to intimidate the enemy. In this regard, a masked helmet may well be a very useful tool, and even if it wouldn't be practical for most or all men to wear them, the added protection combined with the above considerations may have made them seem a worthwhile trade-off for some.
In a nutshell: we're still not sure, but historians are less doubtful than they used to be. - Adrian Goldsworthy, The Complete Roman Army
The variety of military masks used by the Roman army is fascinating and if you search Wikimedia Commons for the category "Ancient Roman Military Masks" you can view a number of them from a variety of museums all in one place including this excellent example I photographed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Bronze Cavalry "Sports" Mask Roman 2nd century CE

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