Happy to hear that he had the extra protection from blows reigned down on his rim. I hope he used a tissue after he finished with it. Metatron’s helmet should be spotless 😂🤣😂😂 Really good detailed analysis of the equipment. Thank you.
The brim would also help keep rain from running into the eyes. The helmet was probably worn more out of combat than in (like swords!), so that might be a consideration.
Helmets are heavy, you don't want to wear them more than necessary. Legionaries on the march carried them on their chests, hanging from a string. Although maybe you would put them on in the rain? Who knows.
One funny thing about the ancient world is that there’s very little detail on what most people wore on their heads, especially out of Greece and Persia
@Florian: I never wore a Roman legionary helmet, but I did play American Football and wore a lineman's helmet (which is typically larger and has more face protection than a helmet worn by, say, a receiver or quarterback). My helmet was likely a pound or two heavier on average than a Roman helmet, and I can tell you that the weight wasn't the reason you didn't really want to wear one for long periods of time. It's weight is simply not all noticeable after a while, as, like plate armor, the weight is evenly distributed. Wearing it on a string tied to your chest would be a pain in the ass compared to having it on your head, if weight were the only issue. The big problem is that helmets get hot and uncomfortable. They trap and hold sweat, heat, and steam. Taking one off after a while is like leaving a hot, muggy room and stepping outside for some fresh air. I sure as hell wouldn't want to march all day in one.
I think the later Empire changed the equipment because of who was serving. The weapons and armor of the 1st century were already citizens. 4th century they were relying more and more on auxiliaries and local troops who had their own traditions and equipment preferences. That and the cost of production of the 'traditional' helm versus a simpler design would have forced the cash strapped empire to cut corners.
Roman Auxiliary forts from the high imperial period have been found with lorica segmentata and fully developed helmets too. By the 4th century, the "auxiliaries" had long been absorbed into the empire as citizens, and the Army was actually more standardized in it's equipment (with centralized mass production) than it was in Agustus' day, where each individual army had its own armor production.
I'd love to see videos on gladiatorial combat, personally. Whether it's about what training you did, or what sources you consulted, I think that'd be well worth the watch.
Jonathan Sload Agreed, i think a video on the differences between the Spear and Trident alone would make a great video, and even if that project fluked, any practical experience that would come out of Gladiatorial fights needs to be out in the world.
The actual footage itself is probably owned by the production company making the original footage of it complicated for youtube re-use. But I do agree with REDOUT, recreating parts of it with the people involved at the time or even just having one or more of them as a guest on a video discussing it could be interesting.
A legionary would probably be wearing a felt cap or something underneath it which would help if it did not fit too well, as well as make it more comfortable to wear for longer periods of time. Man, they thought of everything as far as protection goes.
That is an incredible piece of ingenuity and craftsmanship for 1st Century AD, unsurprising they dominated the world with gear like this. It shows that they truly valued their soldiers (the ones that they decided to equip like this anyway).
About the slight loss of protection around the ears- they were fighting as a unit so their fellow soldiers provided that protection, unlike medieval warriors who weren't as cohesive. That's my impression anyway.
It's also about the rest of the equipment. Heavy medieval infantry often used longer weapons and was very concerned about picks (on various polearms) and daggers in grappling. Romans deliberately wanted to get close to use the gladius, and avoided a lot of grappling by using big shields and a shield-wall formation. The pick weapons we see in the middle-ages were almost nonexistent (and would be closed on quickly, so trying to get a strike through that hole would be very difficult), and the Roman weapon choice allowed for a tighter formation even with identical discipline. They also didn't have complete coverage of their bodies anyway, so sacrificing a little ear armor didn't make them much more exposed. The design of Roman protective gear was more about making as many people as possible reasonably well protected so they could run up and stab the enemy before they could be hurt. Medieval armor design was build around making nobles nearly invulnerable and then filtering old and cheaper derivative designs down to the other soldiers. Combine all these factors, and you get very different armor designs, each talored to their context of use and less effective in the other situation.
Some of the middle aged armies were very cohesive. Like el cids. His core groub were lancers. Lancers need to he highly trained to be able to use the lance, charge in line, pursuit. The rest of his army was pretty dam good to. After he was banished the 2nd time, so many men wanted to fight for Cid he was a king without a country. The spanish and arabs knew he would take a kingdom in spain so the joined up. They caught Cids army by suprise and Cid was out numbered about 2-1. He wiped them out. Thats like custer being surrounded at the big horn and beating the Cheyenne. El Cids was undefeated in battle. The best warrior on the battlefield. And probably the most cunning general/ statesmen of all time. Richard the lionhearts army was very skilled also. Both used highly trained highly cohesive heavy calvary as the hammer in battle.
Haitaka123 Yup, I'm not a comedian and that was admittedly low-hanging fruit as far as jokes go. However at this time I would contest jokes like that are pertinent and accurate, despite not making everyone laugh. It's harder to laugh at truth. Basing this on the direction in which the UK is sadly going. Welcome to Airstrip One, your personal brochure outlining the narrowing rights of Proles can be picked up at Big Brother's office.
It's fascinating how well thought out and advanced their weaponry, armor, tactics, and organization were for the time. Every detail has a place, and purpose. Everything works together like a mechanism.
Considering that these stabs were the most common or easiest way to get a hit onto a roman soldier that could also explain the Lorica Hamatas extra mail protections around the shoulders/back. I never really could explain why the Lorica Hamata had these shoulder pieces - but now that makes a lot of sense actually.
Cutting slashes are often from above/diagonally aiming at the head & shoulders. The Gauls are credited with introducing mail armour & they often had shoulder doublings there. They used longer slashing swords. Facing many Gallic tribes at that time the doubled mail would have been perfectly sensible. Legionary Lorica Hamata continued alongside Segmentata & outlasted it, though later without doubling curiously.
If you look at hamata vs the tube and yolk armor (Greek, Persian, etc) they both have the shoulder pieces, though on the tube and yolk it only doubles on the chest. If you’ve ever seen the statue of the glauberg prince, he wears one of these.
from what i have read is that late roman soldiers wore thicker padding (which might explain the lack of doublings to an extent) but also fought mainly with spears against either cavalry or enemies with spears (thus sword threats even in a civil war) were less common.
One thing looking at the rim id never though of, is water, it would stop a fair bit of water when it rains from running infront of the face, look it goes back to the ears and off the back
I'm not a trained expert on roman helmets, but when I went to Britain as a kid, the one thing that we were told about the design of the back part of the hemet, was that the flap in the back was for guarding when you would naturally turn your head to block an oncoming blow told the neck from the front.
For the record, the Eastern Roman Army maintained the high level of organization up until the late 1100s. Check out the Strategikon by Maurikius (a manual on warfighting written in the Early Middle Ages). Also, tbh, I'm not sure how the ERE army compares to the older Roman army in various periods.
Caramel Johnson Well, Mantzikert was at 1071, which is a period of decline. The Empire had other periods of decline: 900s, or before 1204. 70 years before Mantzikert, and 70 years after, the army was quite successful.
They were superior in a number of ways, and the enemies the Eastern Roman Empire fought were far more organized and dangerous than the Germanic tribes that the Empire fought in it's golden days.
there was a point when we thought that roman armies declined in training and moral and armor, but all of these theories were based on one gie who lacked quaifilcations in any military field and is contrasted by literally every other source (includeing archeology) we know that the roman army stayed a well drilled and organised force intill the period leading up to Mantzikert.
I can imagine the yearly Roman Legion Design Meeting: Guys, guys, let's focus please, let's focus on the next helmet design. All for the corrugated top and brim?
Interesting theory about the projecting neck-guard, it's quite persuasive. I remember reading a chapter (I forget who wrote it) which argued - a little radically but rather coherently - that legionaries during the early Imperial era were primarily used as 'siege soldiers', while auxiliaries were used as troops for open battles and skirmishes. The principal evidence for this argument was that Trajan's Column usually depicts legionaries doing siege work (digging, building, breaching walls, fighting in cities, etc.). The projecting neck-guard was incorporated into this argument too, as protecting the wearer's neck and upper back from missiles from above (i.e. from the walls of a besieged city).
Really interesting. A facsimile of the tail on this helmet can be seen in more modern riot helmets. Riot control tactics are similar to Roman unit tactics and some of the equipment is a modern mirror. Some modern riot helmets have a tail to protect the neck, from thrown missiles and molotovs as well as blows. You can wear a backwards baseball cap under a helmet that lacks the tail to provide similar protection.
And for those over the head blows, the top of the Roman soldier would have been relatively well covered by the lorica segmentata, apart from around the neck, so that rear brim would just close that gap and over-lap so that blows would just glance straight off.
Those back projections seem like they would also sit nicely and comfortably on the back of the neck area as they're usually slightly crouching or slouching in their combat stances!
I have to admit that I was extremely distracted by your "Henry V" arming sword on the wall behind you! I always am, it's my very favorite of your swords! 😀 It also looks great beside your Albion Frankish-type sword hanging below it. They sort of "bookend" the Middle Ages quite nicely!
the interesting about this type of helmet is that is looks like as if it's a sort of predecessor of the polish winged hussar helmet, the cheek protection the brim, the back of the neck, all looks like an modification or extention of the legionary helmets structure, with some added elements such as the face protector.
Also known as the *gallic* helmet. These were adapted from gaulish designs around the time of the invasion of Gaul. Gaulish heavy infantry usually fought with a helmet, a mail shirt, a sword, and a big fuckoff shield. A very similar system. There's also a gladiator class that was literally called "the Gaul".
an additional interesting opinion about the back projection I've seen is that the soldier's natural inclination is to pinch the neck down and turn the head away when front/side attacks to the neck come in. so the projection would, by the soldier's reflex, come to the targeted area of the neck and protect that spot. wish we could ask the ancients these and so many other questions!!
Given that so few other opponents of Rome made use of stabbing short swords of the gladius type It would be interesting to see if the larger lobstertail guards at the back of the helmet that you suspect are designed to protect from attack from short swords pre or post dated the beginnings of major Roman on Roman civil wars that began in the first century BC.
They fought opponents well before then who had short stabbing swords. There were Greek swords of that nature that predate the gladius by centuries spread across the Mediterranean.
And not just swords, but short spears can be used overarm to stab straight down over a shield in that same neck area. We know the Romans themselves sometimes used the pila in melee, used relatively short hasta before and after that (about 7 feet) and the Libyan spearmen who massacred so many Romans used an even shorter spear according to Polybius.
Well maybe you are not expert on Roman army but your look on this classic helmet type was pretty damn good. You really showed how practical (yet stylish) a real historical armor was. And bonus points for extra context!
Shame the TV program never made it to air, would have volunteered to participate and certainly watched it. Time to revisit? Escape to the Legion form an orderly queue here
Nice video as always Matt. Interesting piece of information on the ear holes, Roman cavalry helmets of the Imperial Era generally lacked them (just like later medieval cavalry helmets), maybe because a cavalryman, having to face blows from all sides in a melee unlike his infantry counterpart, thought that sacrificing the ability to hear commands was worth doing for the little extra protection.
Nice video, I’m going to look if there is any documentation on the “open ear” types and what books say about the importance of hearing in the Roman army. Cheers
a fair thing to mention about the rim on a blow from a club or similar, is very likely it will fold, which will also help absorb and redirect impact. probably not a ton, but it's a small bit of information that might be worth sharing
not sure if you have adressed this in the next video, but (and im not expert) that rim and back projection could be (also) to diverge rain falling on top of the helmet? that way if you standing under rain water wont neither fall in front of your face, nor ears and will come down on your back not interfering with comunication (and your sight and hearing). cheers from Bogota, Colombia
Love the video. Always interested in Roman Armies. Very interesting your theory about the neck flare. Makes good sense. The brim on the helmet would also act as a gutter to keep the legionaries eyes clear of rain. There are also examples of helmets with crossbars across the top to protect from Dacian falxsmen. Bonus points for the shout out to The Metatron.
At least to my eye, an additional advantage of the brim and large back neck/shoulder protector thingy is that it could help keep the sun out of your eyes and off your neck respectively
Now put him in an Asterix comic. I would also suspect that lots of legionnaries would get helmets that wouldn't fit them particularly well. They were probably made in something like 3 universal sizes and then soldiers would likely trade them with each other to get the best fitting one possible.
00Trademark00 not quite, throughout Roman history, procurement changed a lot. Early on it was B.Y.O. rules like Greek city states, after the Marian reforms the general bought the gear in large batches from local factories(with a lot of variations) and the soldiers would get a pay cut until it was returned, and by the late empire the factories were state owned, the gear was standard empire-wide and the stuff was returned after service.
The way I rembered it, the equipment became more standardized after the Marian reforms but soldiers were still expected to buy it. I recall reading about second-hand gear that the veterans would sell to the new recruits. However, what you say makes sense. After all, the main point of the Marian reforms was to make military service possible for the poor. But perhaps you could either procure the equipment yourself or lease it from the army?
Very cool video, and concerning your opinion on the use of the neck protection, it very much fits with what Adrian Goldsworthy has to say about it, his book on the Roman army is one of the best
That was very well done. Would have liked to see a strike or 2 on the helmet (with a PVC sword so not to damage) to get a better idea of how much deflation really occurs. And judge how bad your bell may be rug by such a hit.
There was a UK TV programme a few years ago where they showed 2 re-enactors from one of the well established groups(Ermine street guard or such like) sparring with legionary gear (I think the presenter then had a go too), possibly with wooden training swords, & what you said about the way the neck guard is designed was clearly the way it functioned. Nearly all of it was shield-to shield & trying to get at the opponent over the top of the Scutum. Wish I could remember what the show was called! Might have been something with Mike Loads or possibly a Time Team.
In the later Roman period, they were also using longer swords (spatha) which may have been less suitable for the raking/hooking technique you described.
Just look at the roman torso armor. Regardless of armortype roman armor is almost always features reinforced shoulders, which in concert with the helmet provides excellent protection from downwards thrusts.
There was a program ITV did not long ago that sounds like the program you described. Except when I went to watch it I quickly realised it had more in common with love island than gladiators. I wonder if it originally came from your pilot but evolved into something to suit the reality tv drama type audience. Anywho great analysis of the helmet! It all sounds very plausible and legit theories to me.
You truly have the perfect nose for this helmet, very aesthetically pleasing and Latin looking combination. I certainly enjoy your videos, keep up the great work!
Hey Matt. Please do a video about fighting on uneven terrain and situational awareness! I think this is one of the most important aspects of fighting that nobody seems to talk about!
I'm afraid that I don't know enough about the Roman military. I can talk about some specific weapons that I have researched a bit, but the overall army is outside my area of knowledge.
That would be great Matt - can you please do a video on the scutum/gladius combination, it's strenghts/weak points compared to, let's say, spear/shield or later developments? You have hands on experience with them and I find it weird that, after the Roman era, it kinda dissapeard, reverting back to smaller shields/spears/other weapons
very interesting. regarding the back projection on the helmet; I can imagine when you have a threat coming in from above, like the stabbing motion you mentioned. my reaction would be to duck down and get my shoulders in, this will raise the back projection to cover even more of your back. I haven't worn a legionary helmet, but i wear a climbing helmet a few times a week and when I'm on belay and something is falling towards me (guy on lead dropped something or a rock is falling down etc). the natural way to react is to press your shoulders together and try to hunker down if you know what i mean. when belaying i can't really move that much (some, but not run away..) since I'm holding the rope of the climber. much in the way i imagine a roman legionary can't really move that much when he's in the front rank. so that got me thinking... I'm not that interested in armour but i do appreciate good engineering.
I imagine a lot of knightly helmets didn't have ear holes because there was less need for them to take orders on the battlefield. The knight was kind of an elite soldier and not part of a Roman shield formation. Marching orders were for the common soldiers - and during the Medieval period they'd just have leather skullcaps or cloth arming caps or at best a metal skullcap, so hearing wasn't really an issue. In all, I think Medieval warfare represents a decline in military effectiveness from the Roman legions. Keep in mind the Roman legionnaire was the COMMON LINE SOLDIER of the empire. Metal helmet, gladius, scutum, and metal segmentata armor... The legionnaire was incredibly well equipped for a common grunt line soldier. In the Medeival period, the common line soldier was a peasant with a spear and a shield. Maybe gambeson and leather helmet if he was lucky. Sure a knight in full armor looks better equipped and technologically advanced than a legionnaire. But knights were only a small part of the army. A feudal lord in France didn't have the money to equip an entire army like a knight. He didn't even have the funds to gear up his peasants in segmentata. Giving them all swords was out of the question. On the field of battle, a Roman legion would slaughter a feudal army of peasants, despite the best efforts of a small elite force of mounted knights. It's not till the late Medieval period approaching the Rennaisance that Europe would field armies of armored footmen, pike squares and halberdiers that were probably a match for the legendary legions of old. It all comes down to economics. Rome was capable of funding a fully equipped army of footsoldiers, and it would be a log time before Europe was capable of that again.
Konrad Mutz Probably because the shield would usually be held up at nose height, and the brim on the helmet means that a sword can't properly get brought down on top of it
'heavy breathing' seems they decided to fight in a style more reliant on the use of their shields to guard their face rather than obscuring more of their face and possibly make it harder to breath or talk
see, i would like to know how an m1 helmet (aka US WWII helmet) would fair vs historical melee helmets...its 3mm of steel where as the more historical average around 2.8mm with a lot of variation (i think...)
Also, this isn't just a "roman style" helmet, any more than a mail shirt is a "roman style" armor. This stuff was also widely used by celtic nations in what the romans called "gaul".
The Mattatron has spread his context!
Brilliant
TheBaconWizard
Your Matt Easton is evolving!
dude this made my day
"I've wanted to get my hands on Raphaelo's helmet for a long time"
-Matt Easton, 2018
Said with the straightest face yet, his innuendos are almost as polished as Raphs helmet.
S Bryant 😂😂😂
Haha glad I wasn't the only one who heard it
Happy to hear that he had the extra protection from blows reigned down on his rim. I hope he used a tissue after he finished with it. Metatron’s helmet should be spotless 😂🤣😂😂
Really good detailed analysis of the equipment. Thank you.
Hahahaha!!!!!
You can't blame the TV studio for choosing you for their gladiator fighting documentary when your channel is called Schola Gladiatoria : p
That was my assumption, but apparently one of the people working on the show had already seen a lot of my videos.
Perhaps he saw that next on the list was Brian Danner and thought “Nah we’re going with Matt Easton, we should at least try”
What?
It's amazing how well designed these helmets are. A great compromise between protection and practicality.
That neck protection would also work in a flinch response in that it would cover your shoulder, when you turn your head away from the attack.
That “brim” might also be useful for a Glasgow kiss.
Great in the clinch.
Drew McIntyre?
The legions of superdry have a new consul.
Legio Supersiccum?
2:41 It's so satisfying as a roman re-enactor to hear a medievalist admit that the Roman army was better then any medieval army ever was. >:3
Remember that roman helmets evolved over a period of almost 1'000 years...
The brim would also help keep rain from running into the eyes. The helmet was probably worn more out of combat than in (like swords!), so that might be a consideration.
Helmets are heavy, you don't want to wear them more than necessary. Legionaries on the march carried them on their chests, hanging from a string. Although maybe you would put them on in the rain? Who knows.
One funny thing about the ancient world is that there’s very little detail on what most people wore on their heads, especially out of Greece and Persia
It's the first thing I thought of too. Even if they're not wearing them most of the time, it would come in handy if you have to fight in the rain.
@Florian: I never wore a Roman legionary helmet, but I did play American Football and wore a lineman's helmet (which is typically larger and has more face protection than a helmet worn by, say, a receiver or quarterback). My helmet was likely a pound or two heavier on average than a Roman helmet, and I can tell you that the weight wasn't the reason you didn't really want to wear one for long periods of time. It's weight is simply not all noticeable after a while, as, like plate armor, the weight is evenly distributed. Wearing it on a string tied to your chest would be a pain in the ass compared to having it on your head, if weight were the only issue.
The big problem is that helmets get hot and uncomfortable. They trap and hold sweat, heat, and steam. Taking one off after a while is like leaving a hot, muggy room and stepping outside for some fresh air. I sure as hell wouldn't want to march all day in one.
I'd of thought they'd want to keep that stuff out of the rain as much as possible. Preventing rust must have been a nightmare.
I think the later Empire changed the equipment because of who was serving. The weapons and armor of the 1st century were already citizens. 4th century they were relying more and more on auxiliaries and local troops who had their own traditions and equipment preferences. That and the cost of production of the 'traditional' helm versus a simpler design would have forced the cash strapped empire to cut corners.
Roman Auxiliary forts from the high imperial period have been found with lorica segmentata and fully developed helmets too. By the 4th century, the "auxiliaries" had long been absorbed into the empire as citizens, and the Army was actually more standardized in it's equipment (with centralized mass production) than it was in Agustus' day, where each individual army had its own armor production.
I'd love to see videos on gladiatorial combat, personally. Whether it's about what training you did, or what sources you consulted, I think that'd be well worth the watch.
Jonathan Sload Agreed, i think a video on the differences between the Spear and Trident alone would make a great video, and even if that project fluked, any practical experience that would come out of Gladiatorial fights needs to be out in the world.
The actual footage itself is probably owned by the production company making the original footage of it complicated for youtube re-use. But I do agree with REDOUT, recreating parts of it with the people involved at the time or even just having one or more of them as a guest on a video discussing it could be interesting.
I very much enjoyed this video! Even more in the end when You where talking about experimentation!
All the bests, Matt!
Federico
Bel canale fede!
A legionary would probably be wearing a felt cap or something underneath it which would help if it did not fit too well, as well as make it more comfortable to wear for longer periods of time. Man, they thought of everything as far as protection goes.
Insert obligatory joke about Matt showing his helmet to everyone.
Na.... your comment was enough.... really it was, i would prefer never had read your comment i really really would.............
Vetter a joke about him wanting to get both his hands on Raf's helmet ;)
Nice helmet though
At least it wasn't a medieval codpiece...lol
Having another mans helmet means something else in many parts of the world ! Too much time playing with mens swords !Doh! Pork swords !
That is an incredible piece of ingenuity and craftsmanship for 1st Century AD, unsurprising they dominated the world with gear like this. It shows that they truly valued their soldiers (the ones that they decided to equip like this anyway).
About the slight loss of protection around the ears- they were fighting as a unit so their fellow soldiers provided that protection, unlike medieval warriors who weren't as cohesive.
That's my impression anyway.
It's also about the rest of the equipment. Heavy medieval infantry often used longer weapons and was very concerned about picks (on various polearms) and daggers in grappling.
Romans deliberately wanted to get close to use the gladius, and avoided a lot of grappling by using big shields and a shield-wall formation.
The pick weapons we see in the middle-ages were almost nonexistent (and would be closed on quickly, so trying to get a strike through that hole would be very difficult), and the Roman weapon choice allowed for a tighter formation even with identical discipline.
They also didn't have complete coverage of their bodies anyway, so sacrificing a little ear armor didn't make them much more exposed.
The design of Roman protective gear was more about making as many people as possible reasonably well protected so they could run up and stab the enemy before they could be hurt.
Medieval armor design was build around making nobles nearly invulnerable and then filtering old and cheaper derivative designs down to the other soldiers.
Combine all these factors, and you get very different armor designs, each talored to their context of use and less effective in the other situation.
Some of the middle aged armies were very cohesive. Like el cids. His core groub were lancers. Lancers need to he highly trained to be able to use the lance, charge in line, pursuit. The rest of his army was pretty dam good to. After he was banished the 2nd time, so many men wanted to fight for Cid he was a king without a country. The spanish and arabs knew he would take a kingdom in spain so the joined up. They caught Cids army by suprise and Cid was out numbered about 2-1. He wiped them out. Thats like custer being surrounded at the big horn and beating the Cheyenne.
El Cids was undefeated in battle. The best warrior on the battlefield. And probably the most cunning general/ statesmen of all time. Richard the lionhearts army was very skilled also. Both used highly trained highly cohesive heavy calvary as the hammer in battle.
Hopefully there are no edges that are too sharp so the UK government doesn't ban parts of this helmet.
Algiz Bad joke is bad...
Haitaka123 Yup, I'm not a comedian and that was admittedly low-hanging fruit as far as jokes go.
However at this time I would contest jokes like that are pertinent and accurate, despite not making everyone laugh. It's harder to laugh at truth. Basing this on the direction in which the UK is sadly going. Welcome to Airstrip One, your personal brochure outlining the narrowing rights of Proles can be picked up at Big Brother's office.
Just don't ram people with it on the streets.
Algiz That joke was really good!
Haitaka123 Go fuck yourself
It's fascinating how well thought out and advanced their weaponry, armor, tactics, and organization were for the time. Every detail has a place, and purpose. Everything works together like a mechanism.
Considering that these stabs were the most common or easiest way to get a hit onto a roman soldier that could also explain the Lorica Hamatas extra mail protections around the shoulders/back. I never really could explain why the Lorica Hamata had these shoulder pieces - but now that makes a lot of sense actually.
Cutting slashes are often from above/diagonally aiming at the head & shoulders. The Gauls are credited with introducing mail armour & they often had shoulder doublings there. They used longer slashing swords. Facing many Gallic tribes at that time the doubled mail would have been perfectly sensible. Legionary Lorica Hamata continued alongside Segmentata & outlasted it, though later without doubling curiously.
If you look at hamata vs the tube and yolk armor (Greek, Persian, etc) they both have the shoulder pieces, though on the tube and yolk it only doubles on the chest. If you’ve ever seen the statue of the glauberg prince, he wears one of these.
from what i have read is that late roman soldiers wore thicker padding (which might explain the lack of doublings to an extent) but also fought mainly with spears against either cavalry or enemies with spears (thus sword threats even in a civil war) were less common.
@@2bingtim false. It wasnt the gauls who invented it. It was Iberian Celts.
@@jonc2914 The Iberian Celts got there by coming from Gaul.
One thing looking at the rim id never though of, is water, it would stop a fair bit of water when it rains from running infront of the face, look it goes back to the ears and off the back
Very nice, the Romans were very impressive in almost every regard
I'm not a trained expert on roman helmets, but when I went to Britain as a kid, the one thing that we were told about the design of the back part of the hemet, was that the flap in the back was for guarding when you would naturally turn your head to block an oncoming blow told the neck from the front.
Nothing better than seeing Matt handle Raph’s helmet
Ancient Rome never ceases to amaze me.
I never thought about the rim on the front of the helmet until watching this video and the first thing that popped in my mind was rain gutter.
For the record, the Eastern Roman Army maintained the high level of organization up until the late 1100s. Check out the Strategikon by Maurikius (a manual on warfighting written in the Early Middle Ages). Also, tbh, I'm not sure how the ERE army compares to the older Roman army in various periods.
Caramel Johnson Well, Mantzikert was at 1071, which is a period of decline. The Empire had other periods of decline: 900s, or before 1204. 70 years before Mantzikert, and 70 years after, the army was quite successful.
They were superior in a number of ways, and the enemies the Eastern Roman Empire fought were far more organized and dangerous than the Germanic tribes that the Empire fought in it's golden days.
there was a point when we thought that roman armies declined in training and moral and armor, but all of these theories were based on one gie who lacked quaifilcations in any military field and is contrasted by literally every other source (includeing archeology) we know that the roman army stayed a well drilled and organised force intill the period leading up to Mantzikert.
I can imagine the yearly Roman Legion Design Meeting: Guys, guys, let's focus please, let's focus on the next helmet design. All for the corrugated top and brim?
Interesting theory about the projecting neck-guard, it's quite persuasive.
I remember reading a chapter (I forget who wrote it) which argued - a little radically but rather coherently - that legionaries during the early Imperial era were primarily used as 'siege soldiers', while auxiliaries were used as troops for open battles and skirmishes. The principal evidence for this argument was that Trajan's Column usually depicts legionaries doing siege work (digging, building, breaching walls, fighting in cities, etc.). The projecting neck-guard was incorporated into this argument too, as protecting the wearer's neck and upper back from missiles from above (i.e. from the walls of a besieged city).
I'm glad you're close enough to receive his helmet
Jakers457 what
Jakers457 they don't live close at all
he means that they are "friends" enough
The rim also could help with rain
I got an advertisment for Ceasar's Palace in Las Vegas while watching this video. Well played.... lol.
You wanted to get your hands on his helmet? Oh err, what a spicy boy you are.
Good explanation of the purpose of the brow shelf. I have wondered for years what those were for.
Really interesting. A facsimile of the tail on this helmet can be seen in more modern riot helmets. Riot control tactics are similar to Roman unit tactics and some of the equipment is a modern mirror. Some modern riot helmets have a tail to protect the neck, from thrown missiles and molotovs as well as blows. You can wear a backwards baseball cap under a helmet that lacks the tail to provide similar protection.
And for those over the head blows, the top of the Roman soldier would have been relatively well covered by the lorica segmentata, apart from around the neck, so that rear brim would just close that gap and over-lap so that blows would just glance straight off.
Damn, you analyze these things to such greater depth than Metatron.
I'm pretty sure that Metatron made the exact same points as Matt did...
Metatron is a linguist who likes history and spars as a hobby, Matt is literally *the* HEMA guy, it's not like they produce the same kind of content.
Context!
Niemand Keiner dont talk bad about my boi
@@niemandkeiner8057 I was playing "Spot the idiot" and I've finally found you! :)
Those back projections seem like they would also sit nicely and comfortably on the back of the neck area as they're usually slightly crouching or slouching in their combat stances!
It is ironic that the roman helmet is much more protective than some later helmets.
I have to admit that I was extremely distracted by your "Henry V" arming sword on the wall behind you! I always am, it's my very favorite of your swords! 😀 It also looks great beside your Albion Frankish-type sword hanging below it. They sort of "bookend" the Middle Ages quite nicely!
Andrew Eden lol
the interesting about this type of helmet is that is looks like as if it's a sort of predecessor of the polish winged hussar helmet, the cheek protection the brim, the back of the neck, all looks like an modification or extention of the legionary helmets structure, with some added elements such as the face protector.
amazing video. I never realized how sophisticated their armour was.
Also known as the *gallic* helmet.
These were adapted from gaulish designs around the time of the invasion of Gaul.
Gaulish heavy infantry usually fought with a helmet, a mail shirt, a sword, and a big fuckoff shield. A very similar system. There's also a gladiator class that was literally called "the Gaul".
You could also blow open the shield by hooking the lip of your shield around theirs and ripping it out of the way for a thrust or cut.
an additional interesting opinion about the back projection I've seen is that the soldier's natural inclination is to pinch the neck down and turn the head away when front/side attacks to the neck come in. so the projection would, by the soldier's reflex, come to the targeted area of the neck and protect that spot. wish we could ask the ancients these and so many other questions!!
Given that so few other opponents of Rome made use of stabbing short swords of the gladius type It would be interesting to see if the larger lobstertail guards at the back of the helmet that you suspect are designed to protect from attack from short swords pre or post dated the beginnings of major Roman on Roman civil wars that began in the first century BC.
They fought opponents well before then who had short stabbing swords. There were Greek swords of that nature that predate the gladius by centuries spread across the Mediterranean.
And not just swords, but short spears can be used overarm to stab straight down over a shield in that same neck area. We know the Romans themselves sometimes used the pila in melee, used relatively short hasta before and after that (about 7 feet) and the Libyan spearmen who massacred so many Romans used an even shorter spear according to Polybius.
Well maybe you are not expert on Roman army but your look on this classic helmet type was pretty damn good. You really showed how practical (yet stylish) a real historical armor was. And bonus points for extra context!
Shame the TV program never made it to air, would have volunteered to participate and certainly watched it. Time to revisit? Escape to the Legion form an orderly queue here
The rim is probably also really useful to catch rain and make sure the water doesn’t run down your fave and eyes.
The only two later helmets I can think of with holes for the ears are Burgonet and Zischägge (the helmet Hussars were wearing)
Nice video as always Matt. Interesting piece of information on the ear holes, Roman cavalry helmets of the Imperial Era generally lacked them (just like later medieval cavalry helmets), maybe because a cavalryman, having to face blows from all sides in a melee unlike his infantry counterpart, thought that sacrificing the ability to hear commands was worth doing for the little extra protection.
Nice video, I’m going to look if there is any documentation on the “open ear” types and what books say about the importance of hearing in the Roman army. Cheers
Amazing how advanced the Romans were to their time.
a fair thing to mention about the rim on a blow from a club or similar, is very likely it will fold, which will also help absorb and redirect impact. probably not a ton, but it's a small bit of information that might be worth sharing
not sure if you have adressed this in the next video, but (and im not expert) that rim and back projection could be (also) to diverge rain falling on top of the helmet? that way if you standing under rain water wont neither fall in front of your face, nor ears and will come down on your back not interfering with comunication (and your sight and hearing).
cheers from Bogota, Colombia
Love the video. Always interested in Roman Armies. Very interesting your theory about the neck flare. Makes good sense. The brim on the helmet would also act as a gutter to keep the legionaries eyes clear of rain. There are also examples of helmets with crossbars across the top to protect from Dacian falxsmen.
Bonus points for the shout out to The Metatron.
Greek helmets opened the ears way before Rome did. But the phalanx and roman shield walls were very much alike.
At least to my eye, an additional advantage of the brim and large back neck/shoulder protector thingy is that it could help keep the sun out of your eyes and off your neck respectively
"Welcome to the Matt Easton Superdry Hour."
Now put him in an Asterix comic.
I would also suspect that lots of legionnaries would get helmets that wouldn't fit them particularly well. They were probably made in something like 3 universal sizes and then soldiers would likely trade them with each other to get the best fitting one possible.
The legionnaries had to buy their own equipment. I'd guess there were cheaper "one-size-fits-all" versions as well as more expensive bespoke helmets.
00Trademark00 not quite, throughout Roman history, procurement changed a lot. Early on it was B.Y.O. rules like Greek city states, after the Marian reforms the general bought the gear in large batches from local factories(with a lot of variations) and the soldiers would get a pay cut until it was returned, and by the late empire the factories were state owned, the gear was standard empire-wide and the stuff was returned after service.
The way I rembered it, the equipment became more standardized after the Marian reforms but soldiers were still expected to buy it. I recall reading about second-hand gear that the veterans would sell to the new recruits. However, what you say makes sense. After all, the main point of the Marian reforms was to make military service possible for the poor. But perhaps you could either procure the equipment yourself or lease it from the army?
Or they could do what happens in modern militaries, they take equipment costs out of your pay.
Very cool video, and concerning your opinion on the use of the neck protection, it very much fits with what Adrian Goldsworthy has to say about it, his book on the Roman army is one of the best
That was very well done. Would have liked to see a strike or 2 on the helmet (with a PVC sword so not to damage) to get a better idea of how much deflation really occurs. And judge how bad your bell may be rug by such a hit.
There was a UK TV programme a few years ago where they showed 2 re-enactors from one of the well established groups(Ermine street guard or such like) sparring with legionary gear (I think the presenter then had a go too), possibly with wooden training swords, & what you said about the way the neck guard is designed was clearly the way it functioned. Nearly all of it was shield-to shield & trying to get at the opponent over the top of the Scutum. Wish I could remember what the show was called! Might have been something with Mike Loads or possibly a Time Team.
A Roman army on the march must have made so much clanking noise, it's no wonder they kept getting surprise attacks from the locals.
In the later Roman period, they were also using longer swords (spatha) which may have been less suitable for the raking/hooking technique you described.
But how would it fare against the mighty rolling pin?
The backplate on helmet can also help protect from swarm of arrows
Just look at the roman torso armor. Regardless of armortype roman armor is almost always features reinforced shoulders, which in concert with the helmet provides excellent protection from downwards thrusts.
There was a program ITV did not long ago that sounds like the program you described. Except when I went to watch it I quickly realised it had more in common with love island than gladiators.
I wonder if it originally came from your pilot but evolved into something to suit the reality tv drama type audience.
Anywho great analysis of the helmet! It all sounds very plausible and legit theories to me.
Excellent and fun video :3
The over hand stab and the send-off to the Noble Ones (myself included) were great points of this video ^^
That's really a good job learning about the use of the neck projection, if someone hadn't tried it the meaning might be lost.
You truly have the perfect nose for this helmet, very aesthetically pleasing and Latin looking combination. I certainly enjoy your videos, keep up the great work!
How many shirts do you own that say "superdry" on them?
457.
one for each day of the year and plenty of backup
You must have magic wardrobes, considering all the Kukhris in the drawers taking up space already.
Good thing they left that easy to access hole next to the ear to get right under the helmet into their neck. The closest point really.
Pls get your hands on a couple of Hellenistic era helmets as well. They have good functions too and they are less known about.
Hey Matt. Please do a video about fighting on uneven terrain and situational awareness! I think this is one of the most important aspects of fighting that nobody seems to talk about!
I love the over the ear guard design.
Very informative. Made sense out of the utility of the helmet.
Don't forget headbutting that edge could open some one's head pretty good
These are adaptations of Gallic helmets, interestingly enough. The Romans were perfectly fine with adopting their enemie's equipment!
Great video! So keen to learn more about Roman era combat now!
id like to see you do a video on the roman army.
I'm afraid that I don't know enough about the Roman military. I can talk about some specific weapons that I have researched a bit, but the overall army is outside my area of knowledge.
That would be great Matt - can you please do a video on the scutum/gladius combination, it's strenghts/weak points compared to, let's say, spear/shield or later developments? You have hands on experience with them and I find it weird that, after the Roman era, it kinda dissapeard, reverting back to smaller shields/spears/other weapons
very interesting. regarding the back projection on the helmet; I can imagine when you have a threat coming in from above, like the stabbing motion you mentioned. my reaction would be to duck down and get my shoulders in, this will raise the back projection to cover even more of your back.
I haven't worn a legionary helmet, but i wear a climbing helmet a few times a week and when I'm on belay and something is falling towards me (guy on lead dropped something or a rock is falling down etc). the natural way to react is to press your shoulders together and try to hunker down if you know what i mean. when belaying i can't really move that much (some, but not run away..) since I'm holding the rope of the climber. much in the way i imagine a roman legionary can't really move that much when he's in the front rank. so that got me thinking... I'm not that interested in armour but i do appreciate good engineering.
I imagine a lot of knightly helmets didn't have ear holes because there was less need for them to take orders on the battlefield. The knight was kind of an elite soldier and not part of a Roman shield formation. Marching orders were for the common soldiers - and during the Medieval period they'd just have leather skullcaps or cloth arming caps or at best a metal skullcap, so hearing wasn't really an issue.
In all, I think Medieval warfare represents a decline in military effectiveness from the Roman legions.
Keep in mind the Roman legionnaire was the COMMON LINE SOLDIER of the empire. Metal helmet, gladius, scutum, and metal segmentata armor... The legionnaire was incredibly well equipped for a common grunt line soldier.
In the Medeival period, the common line soldier was a peasant with a spear and a shield. Maybe gambeson and leather helmet if he was lucky.
Sure a knight in full armor looks better equipped and technologically advanced than a legionnaire. But knights were only a small part of the army. A feudal lord in France didn't have the money to equip an entire army like a knight. He didn't even have the funds to gear up his peasants in segmentata. Giving them all swords was out of the question.
On the field of battle, a Roman legion would slaughter a feudal army of peasants, despite the best efforts of a small elite force of mounted knights.
It's not till the late Medieval period approaching the Rennaisance that Europe would field armies of armored footmen, pike squares and halberdiers that were probably a match for the legendary legions of old.
It all comes down to economics. Rome was capable of funding a fully equipped army of footsoldiers, and it would be a log time before Europe was capable of that again.
Yeah, the lack of awesome beard gave you away almost immediately!
The brim also stops rain water running into your face.
I knew from the start that it was Matt! The Superdry shirt gave it away :D
Metatron you shaved your hair!!!
I'm considering that option ;)
Ahhh Metatron you replied! Haha i didnt expect anyone to see it to be honest.
Sure the skinhead would suit you.
AvidGamer lol
but where's the rolling pin?
Kralko Velky It's not his personal helmet.
FeelsBadMan
0:18 "I've wanted to get my hands on Rafaello's helmet for a long time..." - Matt Easton.
2:45
There was a Roman army in medieval times... and what the manuals describe, they still seemed pretty disciplined.
I believe those corrugations on top of the helmet are known as "eyebrows"
It's called an imperial gallic helmet btw...
This is a modern term for it, there are Gallic H, Gallic G etc etc. It's not really pertinent to most viewers and is not an historical term.
Rome reminds me, how about a movie fight & equipment review of a scene or another in Dragon Blade, starring Jackie Chan.
Should have done Mermillo vs. Hoplomachus in the gladitorial tv thing.. Or hoplomachus vs. secutor..
Why did they have no nose guard like the viking helmets?
Konrad Mutz Probably because the shield would usually be held up at nose height, and the brim on the helmet means that a sword can't properly get brought down on top of it
oh yeah, I believe lindybeige briefly mentions something similar.
Konrad Mutz A strong Roman nose can stop a sword cut
'heavy breathing'
seems they decided to fight in a style more reliant on the use of their shields to guard their face rather than obscuring more of their face and possibly make it harder to breath or talk
Because they weren't pussies like the Vikings! 😁
When he said "Obviously I'm not the Metatron" I have to say, I was very surprised.
see, i would like to know how an m1 helmet (aka US WWII helmet) would fair vs historical melee helmets...its 3mm of steel where as the more historical average around 2.8mm with a lot of variation (i think...)
Also, this isn't just a "roman style" helmet, any more than a mail shirt is a "roman style" armor. This stuff was also widely used by celtic nations in what the romans called "gaul".
It's a well designed helmet