Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Could the closed Greek helmet kill a warrior?

derek · 24th May 2005, 02:53 PM

Hi Jens,

Good question. I've read of crusading knights dying in their armor from the heat. It even happens to athletes occassionally. Rarely, but it happens, an american football player will die from heat stroke. The pads, the helmet, the expended energy, and the heat can be a dangerous combination. Years ago a young player here died after going too hard at two-a-day training camp.

The body sheds %65 of its heat via radiation. A large part of that is through the head. Put a big metal cap on that and add in some heat and energy burning, and the body can quickly lose its ability to regulate its temperature. Once that happens, cell damage occurs quickly, and not just in the head.

24th May 2005, 02:53 PM	#3
derek Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 215	Hi Jens, Good question. I've read of crusading knights dying in their armor from the heat. It even happens to athletes occassionally. Rarely, but it happens, an american football player will die from heat stroke. The pads, the helmet, the expended energy, and the heat can be a dangerous combination. Years ago a young player here died after going too hard at two-a-day training camp. The body sheds %65 of its heat via radiation. A large part of that is through the head. Put a big metal cap on that and add in some heat and energy burning, and the body can quickly lose its ability to regulate its temperature. Once that happens, cell damage occurs quickly, and not just in the head.