Imperial Italic G Roman helmet found near Hebron at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem

Imperial Italic G Roman helmet found near Hebron at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
This distinctive Imperial Italic G-style helmet was a 2nd century development derived from the earlier Coolus-style helmets with a domed bowl fashioned after La Tène III helmet types. The original Coolus-style helmets were named after the city of Coolus in northeastern France where a helmet of the Coolus type was dredged from the River Marne. Roman helmets were typically constructed of a copper alloy or bronze. Some were spun on a lathe rather than hammered into shape with a turned, cast-soldered or riveted crest knob. The brow-guard was designed to protect the front of the face from downward-slashing sword blows, just as the neck-guard was intended to deflect blows aimed at the nape of the neck and shoulders. The Hebron helmet is also constructed with post-Dacian Wars crossbars on the crown, thought to have been part of the original construction, as evidenced by the brass lunate decorations applied between the crossbars.


Imperial Italic G-style Roman helmet found in a cave near Hebron about 19 miles south of Jerusalem, 132-135 CE, possibly used in the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt. Courtesy of The Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

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