No, after all, how much, if not all, depends on the climate in a person's life! There was a good climate in the region of the "fertile crescent", and the first civilizations arose there, while other peoples hunted and collected roots. The ancestors of the Americans came to North America, settled at the foot of a giant glacier - and here, in particular, in the same province of Alberta, as it turned out from the analysis of bottom sediments in the lakes, and covered them with … climate: very hot, dry summers and very cold snowy winter. Moreover, the glacier itself is receding, and besides, you will not get warm around it in winter. And they went, the sun of the palimas … south and east, bypassing the endless prairies and went to Missouri and Mississippi, to the Great Lakes and eastern forests. They created a high culture of mound builders, and then went south again. Including because of the floods!
"Helmet from Newsted." Not as much is left of it as we would like it to be, but it is still a great value in all respects. (National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh)
Well, the Romans created their high culture, too, largely due to the climate. Near the warm sea, grapes and olives grow in the mountains, in the north - Gaul, where the climate is similar, in the south - Egypt - "the granary of the ancient world", you just need to conquer it. In a word, you sit on the healthiest Mediterranean diet, drink your grape wine, eat wheat bread with olive oil and rejoice! You don't even need to invent something yourself. You borrow a sword from the Iberians, a shield and chain mail from the Gauls, you recruit light cavalry in Africa, heavily armed - from the Sarmatians, archers - in Syria, and, as befits a worthy husband, you serve in the infantry as a legionary.
For its time, the military culture of Rome, whatever it was caused, was exemplary. The Romans were beaten many times, but they were never defeated! Therefore, any finds from Roman times are very interesting for historians. They are interesting for museums, collectors and designers. It is not for nothing in England that there is a whole division of the Roman army "Ermine Street Guard", in which people of various social groups and professions carry out legionnaire service, take part in filming and … willingly take pictures with tourists. The cost of the ready-made equipment is over £ 3,000, so the pleasure is not cheap.
Such reconstructions are being recreated by members of the British association "Ermine Street Guard". Moreover, not from the head, of course, every detail of their armor has a corresponding prototype in reality.
Many people are interested in the question of how far did the Romans go in expanding their borders? The answer is very far, as far as the Euphrates in the east and Scotland in the north. In any case, their presence has been traced back to the modern village of Newsted, which is known to be the oldest permanent settlement in Scotland. When the border between northern savagery and southern civilization, held on the tips of Roman swords, passed here, and it was here that one of the very interesting and expensive helmets that belonged to the warriors of ancient Rome was found. And not just to warriors, but to some rider of heavy cavalry.
Roman lamellar carapace - an accessory to the armor of heavily armed horsemen. (University Museum in Haifa, Israel)
They found it on the site of a Roman fort located in Newsted near the town of Melrose in Roxburghshire, in Scotland back in 1905. In terms of its dating, it is believed that it dates back to 80-100 AD. It is currently on display at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Such helmets were usually worn by the riders of the auxiliary cavalry units of the Roman army. Moreover, there are several points of view on their use. Some experts consider such helmets with masks as an exclusive accessory of equestrian competitions "hippika gymnasia". However, there is another point of view. That sport is, of course, a sport, and a very important thing, but that such helmets with masks could also be used in a combat situation. In addition, this helmet is also very beautiful. Sir James Curl (1862-1944), who found it, described his find as "one of the most beautiful things that the tide of Roman conquest left us as a legacy."
Another significant monument of the high level of military technology of the Roman era: the funerary stele of the Roman gladiator Murmillon, dating back to the 2nd century AD. He wears a downright "cosmic outline" of a spherical helmet, and his right hand is covered by a brace similar to those worn by the Roman horsemen. (Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara)
The same helmet is large.
Well, he found it during excavations of the Roman fortress Trimontium, which was located not far from the three-domed hill in Newsted, which is why this fort, by the way, was called that way (Trimontium means "three hills"). During excavations between February 1905 and September 1910, Curl found on the territory of the former fort a large number of artifacts from the era of Roman rule, including parts of armor, horse harness, saddles, as well as plates and … several rich cavalry helmets made of bronze and iron. which he considered ceremonial. The famous Newsted Helmet was the first such find, just in 1905.
Newsted Helmet (National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh)
The helmet is in two parts, the mask and the back, both of which are made of wrought iron. Unfortunately, before it was found, the helmet was crushed by heavy stones, causing it to be seriously damaged. Many parts of the helmet were damaged, and most of the upper part above the forehead was completely destroyed. At the back of the helmet, there is a back plate, to which a thin bronze plate with an embossed pattern is attached, but this decoration is not made as well as in other parts of the helmet. On its outer surface there are traces of tinning or silvering, which suggests that the helmet mask was "silver". Remnants of a woolen lining on the inner surface of its dome have also been preserved. The mask, very well preserved, depicts the face of a young man with curly hair adorned with a laurel wreath, which is believed to indicate a Celtic influence. On the left side of the helmet there is a feather tube for the Sultan. And this allows us to assume that such a tube should have been on the right. Arrian, in particular, wrote that Roman horsemen wear gilded helmets made of iron or bronze, thus wishing to attract the gaze of the audience at the "hippika gitmnasia" competition. Unlike helmets made for war, they are designed to cover the entire face of the rider except the eyes. The helmets are adorned with yellow feathers, which give as much beauty as usefulness. But when horses gallop, these feather sultans flutter very beautifully, and the slightest breeze only adds to their beauty.
Bronze mask of one of the helmets found at Newsted. (National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh)
But here one important circumstance should be kept in mind. Arrian wrote about the horsemen of Rome … and here was the northernmost border of the empire. And it turns out that the Roman cavalrymen, arriving here, were engaged in sports competitions for the public, and they dragged special equipment with them … But isn't it too far away? And most importantly - why? That is, it may very well be that such equipment was used not only in parades, but also in battles ?!
The Newsted Helmet, featuring a winged Cupid driving a chariot with leopards harnessed to it. (National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh)
Other helmets were also found there, for example, a bronze helmet without a mask depicting the figure of Cupid ruling a chariot drawn by two leopards. On the opposite side, there is another winged figure, probably representing victory, who holds a palm branch in one hand and the leopard's reins in the other. It is likely that this helmet was originally equipped with a visor covering the face, but now it is missing. On the back of the helmet there is an inscription of eight letters embossed in the metal. The first four letters of the inscription are difficult to establish, but the last four letters are "TGES", which can be read as T [urmae] ("From the squad") with the name of the squad leader.
A simple iron legionary helmet with two folding cheeks was also found here.
Apparently, there was such an option: the helmet itself is silvered, but the mask “burns” with polished copper or bronze! By the way, in "Ermine Street Guard" there is not only infantry, but also its own cavalry!
It is interesting that here, on the site of a Roman fortress in Newsted, the remains of a bracer were also found, at first identified as a part of a legguard. They consisted of 14 curved bronze plates riveted to four goatskin belts. The upper, most massive plate had a rolled upper edge. Moreover, similar details were found not only here, but also in Carnunt, located halfway from Vienna to Bratislava, an archaeological park on the site of an ancient Roman military camp. A well-preserved bracer was also found in bronze in Carlisle, and this find dates back to the beginning of the II century, that is, at that time similar armor, very similar to the later knightly ones, already existed and were used!
Roman horsemen-auxiliaries, that is, belonging to auxiliary units. Usually, the Roman cavalry differed from the infantry in the legions in its lighter armament and equipment features. So, it was the horsemen, and it was in Britain, earlier than everyone else, that they began to wear bracque pants. Their shields were oval, although the device did not differ from the infantry scutums. Instead of the lorica of the Segmentate of the Empire era, the riders retained their chain mail, and many did not have sleeves, instead of which a chain mail cape was used. A spear with a wooden shaft - a ghast and a sword longer than that of an infantryman, a spat, completed his armament, although sometimes a "pencil case" for three darts was added to it. The saddle - "four-armed", gave the rider good stability, although the Romans did not know the stirrups. But they knew a spur, so far only one, which was worn on the right leg!
