LATE ROMAN RIDGE HELMET

This helmet style represents the later days of the Empire, as they headed into the Dark Ages.  It was largely inspired by a relic found in Burgh Castle in the UK.

Original helmets of this type had movable cheek and neck-guard plates that were attached with leather.  In order to adapt it for SCA type combat, I decided to rivet these parts solidly to the skull (and to each other, via small braces) to make the entire helmet rigid and stable.  As an option I can put dummy leather straps at the rear, as shown on the helmet below.  (The leathers for the cheek-plates would have been covered by the small, rectangular plates that were added to protect them.)

The ridge piece, after which this helmet type is commonly known, is a relatively tricky plate to shape.  I went through a few throw-aways while developing a method that would yield a plate that was of a fairly uniform thickness throughout.  The more obvious (to me, anyway) techniques to shape it all tended to unduly stretch one part or another, leaving a thin, weak area.  After some consideration, I came up with a new method and the result was very satisfactory.  The plate is very uniform, and so uniformly strong, throughout.  See the last photo for an end-view of the ridge-piece.

The example shown here has optional brass edging on all the main plates.





















(Page updated 2-14-19)

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