MAGNA GRAECIA, LATE ARCHAIC TO EARLY CLASSICAL PERIOD, CIRCA 525-475 B.C.

Also called Pseudo-Corinthian, this helmet was worn cap-like on top of the head, rather than enclosing the head in the manner of the Corinthian predecessor. The cheek-pieces of this new variant no longer serve their original purpose, as they now angle forward to function as a visor, and the nose-guard and eye-openings are now purely decorative.

This elegant example features eyebrows in raised relief and an engraved chevron pattern around the perimeter. The cheek-guards are adorned with engraved boars and there are palmettes next to each eye. This helmet is characteristic of A. Bottini's Type B, all of which feature open eyes, the nose in relief and the cheek-guards joined by one or more bridges (see "Gli Elmi Apulo-Corinzi: Proposta di Classificazione," AION: Annali di archeologia e storia antica, vol. 12, 1990, pp. 23-37). For a related example, see fig. 6, p. 113, in Bottini, et al., eds., Antike Helme.