ROMAN HELMETS: IMPERIAL italic                         

ROMAN IMPERIAL

Used from: Ca. 25 BC-AD 250

Used by: Legionary infantry, officers up to the rank of centurion.

Imperial Itallic Helmets

This series was named by H. Russell Robinson because of the design’s apparent origins in Italian workshops and its display of certain earlier Italic and Greco-Etruscan elements. The Imperial Italic types lack the eyebrow embossments present on Gallic models, but the shape of the bowl, neck and cheek guards are very similar. This has led some scholars to question Robinson’s very notion of these two constituting separate categories. For example, German researchers classify both Imperial Gallic and Italic types as "Weisenau helmets," after the name of an archaeological site. Nevertheless, most collectors and reenactors have used Robinson’s handy method of classification and these names have become commonplace among those who reproduce them.

It has often been assumed that the Italic style gradually supplanted the Gallic styles, mainly because clear examples of the Italic styles appear early in the 1st century AD, and continue to evolve and change well into the late second and early third centuries AD. Robinson regarded the earlier Italic helmets (A through E models) as being of inferior workmanship to their Gallic counterparts, but the differences, if there indeed were any, tended to disappear as time went on. Some of these helmets were constructed of copper alloy (brass), while several others were fashioned of iron. Also, two styles (D and H models) employ large amounts of brass as structural and decorative elements, though mainly fashioned out of iron. These two helmets also sport a type of functional and decorative reinforcement to the cranium that began to come into use during the Flavian and Trajanic campaigns against the Dacians (ca. AD 86-106), perhaps as a defense against their deadly two-handed war scythe, the falx. There have been a few fragmentary examples of Imperial Gallic models having been retrofitted in this fashion, but it is primarily a feature integral to later Italic models, such as the Imperial Italic D, G, and H. The G model has iron bars, while the D and H sport brass reinforcements in this area. Evidently, it had become a trend that gave such helmets more protection against piercing overhead blows than previous styles of head gear.

Deepeeka offers several excellent quality reproductions of the Imperial Italic types of helmet. 

Used from: Ca. AD 30-90

Pricing and availability: $200

Authenticity rating: 9.75

This simple, but attractive helmet is one of the newest additions to the Deepeeka line. Is is perhaps the archetypical early Italic helmet, with a rounded bowl, brow reinforcement or "peak," and narrow neck guard with a single embossed step. Robinson regarded it as a development of the brass Italic A, which sported an embossed "faux visor" similar to that seen in artistic and sculptural depictions of the Attic helmet. Made of iron with brass trim, the Italic B's ear openings are protected by a turned-out flange, rather than the separate ear guards found on later models. The best surviving example is in the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb.

AH6057B Deepeeka Imperial Italic C

Used from: AD 60-120

Price: $245

Authenticity Rating: 9.75

This helmet (AH6057B) is a good rendition of a bronze helmet from the third quarter of the 1st century AD. Simple and basic, it appears to have beenwidely used, as at least four examples have been found of this type, inclusing one from Cremona, one from Kiel and another from the Po Valley. Theexample from Cremona seems securely dated to one of the two battles that took place near this city during the Year of the Four Emperors, AD 69. It is similar to the Italic B in basic form, but is made of brass and has a much larger neck guard. The type lacks much of the applied decorationfound on many Imperial Italic and Gallic helmets, indicating it may have been something of an "entry level" helmet for legionaries. Deepeeka's version of the Italic C was always one of its most accurate helmets, but it has been made even better in recent months thanks to the "accurizing campaign" launched by the company in conjunction with the experts on Roman Army Talk.

AH6054N Rhine at Mainz Version (Italic D)

Used from: Ca. AD 60-140

Price: $297

Authenticity Rating: 9.75

This helmet (AH6054N) is patterned after an original from the Rhine at Mainz, one the best-preserved Roman helmets to have survived. Robinson dated this helmet to the second half of the 1st century AD, but some experts believe that his dating is far too early. The congruence of this style with later helmets of the Italic series, such as the Italic G and H (Niedermörmter), suggests that it is at least from the early 2nd century AD. Others, including Dan Peterson, continue to support Robinson's earlier dating, so it may safely be used by reenactors portraying either the first or second centuries AD. This helmet incorporates a steel cranium with much brass furniture, such as decorative cross-bracing and symbols such as eagles, temples and altars on the cheek guards and the cranium. This high level of decoration has led some to speculate that the type was employed by members of a an elite unit such as the Praetorian Guard. But the discovery of a similar highly decorated, but somewhat different helmet at Krefeld (see next entry) indicates elaborately decorated helmets were perhaps more common than previously thought. Deepeeka’s version of the Mainz helmet has been newly revised to a truly exceptional level of accuracy with the help of the discussion group, Roman Army Talk, and is one of the finest helmets commercially available.

AH6054K Deepeeka Imperial Italic D, Krefeld Version

Used from: Ca. AD 69-150

Availability and Pricing: $297

Authenticity Rating: 9.75

Another welcome new addition to the Deepeeka line, the Krefeld helmet is based on an example found near a leginary fortress outside Krefeld, Germany. Like the Mainz helmet, it features applied brass cross-bracing and other elaborate ornamentation, including a pair of raised eyes (complete with eyeballs and iris!) on the forehead. The abandonment of the fort in AD 69 seems to provide later 1st century date for the find, but like the Mainz helmet, the typology seems to fall into a later period, so we have provided an expanded range of dates for possible use.

AH6056N Imperial Italic G

Used from: Ca. AD 100-150

Price: $315

Authenticity Rating: 9.75

The Imperial Italic G helmet was said to have been found in a cave near Hebron, perhaps lost by a Roman legionaryduringthe Bar Kochba Rebellion of 132-135 AD. Its incorporation of cross-bracing on the cranium is in keeping with a trend seen in other helmets of the early second century AD and beyond. This was perhaps initiated in response to the Dacians’ deadly two handed scythe, the falx, encountered by Romans during Trajan’s Dacian Wars in 101-102 AD and 105-106 AD. While the thin brass cross-bracing on the Italic D was more decorative than functional, the heavy iron bars found on the Italic G were definitely intended to stop or deflect an overhead blow. The attractive lunate appliqués on the skull indicate the cross bracing was a part of the helmet's original manufacture, rather than a "field retrofit" as found on at least one surviving Imperial Gallic helmet. There seem to be no provisions for mounting a crest on this type, but a simple crest mount can be constructed that fits either over or under the cross braces. Deepeeka’s newly revised Italic G, which was redesigned with the assistance of Imperial Armory's own Dave Michaels and other members of Roman Army Talk, is one of the most accurate replica Roman helmets available anywhere, at any price. Note: This is the preferred helmet for the Legio VI Victrix Pia Fidelis (California) reenactment group, which portrays a legion during the reign of Hadrian (AD 117-138).

AH6302N Imperial Italic H (Niedermörmter helmet)

Used from: Ca. AD 150-250

Price: $415

Authenticity Rating: 10

The Italic H helmet, known to many as the Niedermörmter type, was produced in both brass and in iron fitted with brass furniture. The brass helmet, based on the famous example now in the Landesmuseum Bonn. which Robinson regarded as the best Roman helmet to have survived from antiquity. Originally regarded as a third century helmet, the latest research tends to push its initial use back into the second century Antonine period. It incorporates many features that are seen on other helmets, both Italic and Gallic in family origin, and may be considered the pinnacle of those helmet families, with a very broad neck guard and deep occipital area, elaborate embossed and applied beaded decoration, as well as a very stout brow guard. The cross-bracing on the all-brass version is actually embossed into the skull and appears to be more decorative than functional. The brass version also has a dome-shaped knob at the crown instead of a crest attachment point. The new Deepeeka version is simply a gorgeous helmet, truly a museum-quality replica worthy of display as an art object in and of itself.

AH6304N Imperial Italic H (Gutmann 'Mouse' helmet)

Used from: Ca. AD 150-250

Price: $375

Authenticity Rating: 10

This amazing helmet is based on an original from the famous Guttmann Collection in Germany, offered at auction byChristie'sin 2004. Our own Dave Michaels got a chance toexamine the original first-hand, and some of his pictures can be found on the Legio VI Victrix "Real Gear" page, HERE. His photos were instrumental in assisting Deepeeka's efforts toward recreating this helmet. In overall appearance it is quite similar to the all-brass Niedermörmter Italic H, but it is made primarily of iron, with functional and decorative brass appliqués rendered in a style quite similar to the earlier Italic D (see above). The occipital area is not quite as deep and the neck guard is less sloped; also, the brow guard or "peak" is rendered in an elaborate openwork design. The cross braces are brass, and a raised boss at the crown is fitted with a brass ring, probably intended for a "falling tail" horsehair plume. Finally, the original (and Deepeeka's new replica) both feature an intriguing decorative touch in applied brass in the two rear quarters of the bowl-- a tiny mouse and a round loaf of bread cut pizza-fashion into eight pieces. This curious motif has also been found on Praetorian tombstones and may indicate the helmet originally belonged to a Praetorian guardsman (his name, Julius Mansuetas, was incised on the neck guard). Deepeeka's newly "accurized" replica extends the mouse-loaf motif to the cheek guards as well (the original lacks them, and these are reconstructions based in part on a separately found Italic cheek guard which shows the appropriate level of development from the Italic D types). This beautiful helmet is a worthy addition to any collection of replica arms and represents the absolute peak of Roman helmet development.