Helmet

The helmet is a Thracian type and is a random find from the land of the village. Blagoevgrad bought by NIM. The Thracian type of helmet, which is generally characterized by a soft-shaped and forward-facing tip (crobulos) of the callotus and plastically shaped like a bearded face of the awakening. The helmet has the following parts, the callotus (helmet), the crobyulos (“tavern”) of two mirrored plates, a threaded nail and a cheek. The calotta has an elliptical section with diameters of 21.5 cm x 16.5 cm, conical narrowing upwards and ending with an opening to which the foil is soldered. Changing the shape of the callotus from cylindrical to conical is made by horizontal parallel ribs. On both sides of the mud were holes for the ears with stiffeners, at the rear end of the mud was elongated and folded outwards to form a tiller. At the lower end, behind the ear openings, there are small round holes through which the ligaments passed to tie the helmet under the beard. The front part of the mud is formed as the front of the face - ending with eyebrows and misleading. In between is a threadmill. The side walls of the callotus, in front of the ear openings, end with hinges to which the stabs are attached. Stylized eyebrows are characteristic of Corinthian and Attic helmets, cut ear openings are also rare in Thracian helmets. The most original part of the Thracian type of helmets are the cheeks, which are plastically modeled on the line of the jaw, the front has openings for the eyes, nose and mouth. Their surface is shaped like a beard and a mustache. The helmet becomes a mask. The Thracian helmet type from Pletena is the only one to date on whose awakens the beard is represented by strands in the form of flames. The other Thracian helmets known to date (including the unpublished ones) are cheeked, on which the beards are made by snail-shaped beads. The way in which the beard of the helmet is stylized is characteristic of the representation of the fur of animals in Thracian art and also, as well as the presentation of hair and beards of letters) is an influence of Achemenid art. Mustache modeled on the awakens of this helmet also makes an exception - they are not curved as usual upwards, but frame the mouth opening. The ends of the two bunches were cut back in ancient times. They were tied in front of the beard, as evidenced by the round holes at their ends. The Pletena helmet has a rich decoration composed of various appliqued elements, some of silver, some of copper alloy. Silver application-bands are laid on the eyebrows and misleading and on the sediment. The connection between the callotus and the foil is completely covered with a decorated silver band. There are also trapezoidal silver applications above the hinged joints between the callotus and the nails. Circular applications (rosettes) on the helmet have been reconstructed on the basis of preserved complete applications, parts of them and traces of solders. They are 6 silver (one large and 5 small), two above each other above the threading (the large and one small) and two on the temple. On both sides (horizontally just above the cheeks) are mounted the other two small rosettes. On the conical part of the callotus are preserved an trace of the solders of two other round applications, one on the nape and one above the cone formed by the two ribs above the canopy. On both sides of the crobulos (the “tavern”), in its widest part, the traces of two large elliptical applications from a copper-base alloy are visible. A small part of one application is preserved. The two applications were probably a person. Traces of solders at the top of the crobulos show that a plate with a small base was soldered there. It followed the curvature’s curve and held little weight - most likely a tail of feathers or mane. Feathers or small mane bundles have taken place on both sides of the callotus, as evidenced by solders on both sides of its conical part. The Thracian helmets are worn on a plush or leather cap, as evidenced by the remnants of a thick hat on the inside of the callotus of the specimen described here, and by the traces of leather on other Thrace helmets. The most interesting element in Thracian helmets is that their awakens present a beard with a mustache. In Thracian art, a man is presented with a beard and a mustache. The helmets are a legacy of the Thracian and Phrygian calves with a fallen forward peak. This forward-falling tip of the cap has been preserved and passed into the metal helmets, as the Thracian aristocrats, dedicated to esoteric orphic mysteries, have gathered their hair on the top of their heads with gold and silver needles, and the helmet’s crobulos have most likely symbolized that the aristocrat warrior is an orphic. The Thracian helmets are a precursor to the later helme-masks known from Thrace. They were worn by aristocrats, handed over by inheritance, and repaired many times.