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

Jens Nordlunde · 25th May 2005, 12:16 PM

Hi Louieblades,

True the Greeks were normally not heavily dressed, and that would have helped of course. If they had a closed helmet on the head, this would mean that the ‘control centre’ of the body was in a ‘steam boiler’, heated by the sun from the outside and by the energy used by fighting at the inside, which must have been unbearable and could, I think, lead to false judgements when decisions had to be taken.

At the time when the British troops were fighting in America during the revolution, the soldiers were a valuable part of the army. In India in the old times, it was not quite like that, as many of the soldiers were recruited amongst poor people, armed and sent off to the battle field, to die one way or another, as the leaders regarded the soldiers as theirs to use as they pleased, which was quite another way of thinking than they did under the American revolution.

Hi Tom/Aqtai,

I have never had such a helmet on, so I can only guess how unbearable the heat must be, but I do remember how hot it was to get into cars, before they got air conditioned, when they had been standing in the sun on a very hot summer day – one of this helmets must have been far worse, not only be course of the sun, but also be course of the energy used in the battle – running forward at full speed, swinging the sword over the head yelling ‘CHARGE’ – maybe most even reached the enemy, before they dropped

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25th May 2005, 12:16 PM	#12
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	Hi Louieblades, True the Greeks were normally not heavily dressed, and that would have helped of course. If they had a closed helmet on the head, this would mean that the ‘control centre’ of the body was in a ‘steam boiler’, heated by the sun from the outside and by the energy used by fighting at the inside, which must have been unbearable and could, I think, lead to false judgements when decisions had to be taken. At the time when the British troops were fighting in America during the revolution, the soldiers were a valuable part of the army. In India in the old times, it was not quite like that, as many of the soldiers were recruited amongst poor people, armed and sent off to the battle field, to die one way or another, as the leaders regarded the soldiers as theirs to use as they pleased, which was quite another way of thinking than they did under the American revolution. Hi Tom/Aqtai, I have never had such a helmet on, so I can only guess how unbearable the heat must be, but I do remember how hot it was to get into cars, before they got air conditioned, when they had been standing in the sun on a very hot summer day – one of this helmets must have been far worse, not only be course of the sun, but also be course of the energy used in the battle – running forward at full speed, swinging the sword over the head yelling ‘CHARGE’ – maybe most even reached the enemy, before they dropped.